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

I remember growing up and hearing the word "ugly" a lot. "I'm ugly." "She ugly." "He ugly." I hated it then, and I hate it now. I go past physical beauty; I tell people they have a beautiful spirit and that is something different.

My camera is my compass; it's guided me to so many different places.

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.

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.

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.

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