I wanted to go amongst gangbangers, to understand this war they were fighting amongst each other. I wanted to document it, [also] to show the human side of it.

For the most part, as a society, we are not happy with ourselves.

There is just something about the common being. My education pretty much came from the streets, just connecting with people, different cultures. I gained the wealth just engaging at that level. I'm still like that. I continue to document everyday people versus the stars.

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

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

I place myself in situations where a lot of people are going to be, and bring a particular body of work that reflects the people already there. You have to study your subject.

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.

The photograph is to a great degree evidence of the conversation I had with the person. It's a part of my visual diary.

When you look at my photos, just look into the eyes of my subjects. The eyes say so much.

The majority of the people I've taken photographs of, I've had conversations with. What are your goals and aspirations? What are you about? It's not just about me capturing the image I want to know what you are about.

Photography is humbling, it really is, and it really allows for me to atone for some of the missteps I've made throughout the course of my life.

I read a recent statistic that eighty-seven percent of women are dissatisfied with themselves, and over forty-seven percent of men. My work is visu-medicine to heal people and see beauty within people.

I think that's what the war photography did for me. It showed me the human side of people and how certain circumstances can change people's lives.

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.