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.

Sometimes we are just divided, but we still, for the most part, we have similar hopes and dreams.

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.

I wanted to go amongst gangbangers, to understand this war they were fighting amongst each other. I wanted to document it, [also] to show the human side of it.

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.

For me, the stars are the invisible people on the street that people don't really get a chance to know.