What I strive to do through my work, is to teach compassion. You need to have a lot of it, in this day and time, and it's lacking.

I think that's what the war photography did for me. It showed me the human side of people and how certain circumstances can change people's lives.

Photography is humbling, it really is, and it really allows for me to atone for some of the missteps I've made throughout the course of my life.

When I approach a person, I feel a certain way. If I don't feel that way, I'm not going to approach that individual. "I see something in you" - I want the person to know that.

There is just something about the common being. My education pretty much came from the streets, just connecting with people, different cultures. I gained the wealth just engaging at that level. I'm still like that. I continue to document everyday people versus the stars.

For the most part, as a society, we are not happy with ourselves.

When a photographer or a person sees your beauty, your inner beauty, it makes you feel special like, "Wow, someone saw that within me."