When I started photographing Patti [Smith], I knew that there wasn't a whole a lot of information out there about her. I was periodically interested in films, and so I just kept asking her if I could come around.

I like not knowing too much about somebody I'm photographing, because the process also becomes an experience for me to learn about .

Fashion has also been a great outlet, and I'd like to do more fashion photography in the future. I also photograph a lot of artists.

We were just hanging out and getting to learn about each other. But I think trust was a really big thing. Patti [Smith] is a good friend, somebody I can talk to.

At the beginning I didn't even really think about making a movie [Dream of Life]. I was just thinking of documenting somebody.

The editing process was a free-for-all, and since I hadn't gone to film [Dream of Life] school or anything like that, I just said, "We'll do this. We'll do that." It was a really great experience that way.

The film [Dream of Life] came together when we started editing; it was organic, it became nonlinear and it was its own animal. And I didn't want to tame it, either. I wanted it to be different. It's not your typical documentary.