There Isn't An Aspect Of Book Creation

I Think Of Myself As A Writer Who Photographs. Images, For Me, Can Be Considered Poems, Short Stories Or Essays. And I've Always Thought The Best Place For My Photographs Was Inside Books Of My Own Creation.

In My First Class At The University Of Kentucky, My American Literature Professor Came In, And The First Sentence Out Of His Mouth Was "the Central Theme Of American Literature Is An Attempt To Reconcile What We've Done To The New World." Wrote That Down In My Notebook, And Thought, "what Is He Talking About?" But That's What I Think About Now. The New World And What We've Done To It.

And That Desire-the Strong Desire To Take Pictures-is Important. It Borders On A Need, Based On A Habit: The Habit Of Seeing. Whether Working Or Not, Photographers Are Looking, Seeing, And Thinking About What They See, A Habit That Is Both A Pleasure And A Problem, For We Seldom Capture In A Single Photograph The Full Expression Of What We See And Feel. It Is The Hope That We Might Express Ourselves Fully-and The Evidence That Other Photographers Have Done So-that Keep Us Taking Pictures.

Teaching Has Never Been Far From My Life. It's The Most Natural Thing I Do. Apparently, As I Said, I Cannot Not Do It.

Photographs That Transcend But Do Not Deny Their Literal Situation Appeal To Me.