I dont think tragic situations are necessarily devoid of beauty.

Photography can be perceived as the opposite of war.

I began after college, about 1972. I began to teach myself photography. I went to work for a local newspaper for four years as a kind of basic training.

I try to use whatever I know about photography to be of service to the people I'm photographing.

If I can upset people, if I can ruin their day, then I have done my job.

I want to record history through the destiny of individuals who often belong to the least wealthy classes. I do not want to show war in general, nor history with a capital H, but rather the tragedy of a single man, of a family.

The greatest statesmen, philosophers, humanitarians ... have not been able to put an end to war. Why place that demand on photography?