When you look at my photos, just look into the eyes of my subjects. The eyes say so much.

The images of war inspired me to create, to go to different situations and communities, to document the human side of people, to show a side that we don't see.

I think that photography has allowed me to have a voice. I used to stutter, and once I overcame that struggle, it felt good to tell people they were beautiful and special.

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.

The majority of the people I've taken photographs of, I've had conversations with. "What are your goals and aspirations?" "What are you about?" It's not just about me capturing the image; I want to know what you are about.

I read a recent statistic that eighty-seven percent of women are dissatisfied with themselves, and over forty-seven percent of men. My work is visu-medicine to heal people and see beauty within people.

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.