I think knowing people by first names, not by what they do sexually, is really what it’s about. Not being afraid. Fear is the enemy. I’ve always been comfortable with being gay.

Today a lot of things are so celebrity-oriented; it’s only because it’s celebrity and the photograph is lost. To me it’s important to have an image that is a photograph first, not about necessarily who that person is.

Each time I did assignments or editorials, I realized that I wanted to do something more. I saw that it wasn’t just about the clothes.

It’s always more comforting to know that in any given corner of any room or any location you’re on, you can make a photograph that you’ll appreciate.

I’d go down to the end of my street, to a garage that had a certain feeling about it, or a particular light; I’d take a picture of a friend who needed a head shot. That’s how I learned, instead of having school assignments and learning camera techniques.

Coming from California and growing up where I did, I’ve always had a fondness for and innate sensitivity to light, texture, and warmth.

I did grow up next door to Steve McQueen, who was a very famous movie star at the time, but as a kid it didn’t impress me. We always had great fun with him. He would take us out on Sundays on his motorcycles, riding around in the desert; he was like a second father.

Even though I didn’t get a business degree, I enjoyed learning about economics.

To me it’s just going for the moment that counts. Sometimes, I’ll have all the elements there, and I like to play and push something, and to me, in the end, you do achieve things that you’re not aware of in the beginning, even though you’re there trying to get them.

I think a lot of the time these days people are so concerned about having the right camera and the right film and the right lenses and all the special effects that go along with it, even the computer, that they’re missing the key element.