Do we really need another picture of Paris Hilton or Naomi Campbell?

Is it possible to put an end to a form of human behavior which has existed throughout history by means of photography?

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

Starvation and disease are the original weapons of mass destruction. When you burn fields and kill animals, people are left vulnerable.

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

I want my work to become part of our visual history, to enter our collective memory and our collective conscience. I hope it will serve to remind us that history's deepest tragedies concern not the great protagonists who set events in motion but the countless ordinary people who are caught up in those events and torn apart by their remorseless fury. I have been a witness, and these pictures are my testimony. The events I have recorded should not be forgotten and must not be repeated.

[Photography] puts a human face on issues which, from afar, can appear abstract or ideological or monumental in their global impact.