The cool thing for me about moving to New York was that I got to create a new family.

Everyone started to have a camera. That's when I started to travel outside of New York and go into nature.

Everyone I'm photographing, I feel like I'm remaking a family, in a way. My brothers and sisters are my heroes. So many of my models resemble them.

Whatever emotions you're going through, you somehow seek out the people that are going through similar emotions or that maybe have something you need.

I was pretty Irish Catholic Jersey, the middle of the line.

I was growing up in the suburbs; I was one of eight kids. So I did have a community when I was younger, but all of my brothers and sisters were older.

I was never told, "Fags are going to hell." You just didn't talk about it.