With photography, I like to create a fiction out of reality. I try and do this by taking society’s natural prejudice and giving this a twist.
I see things going on before my eyes and I photograph them as they are, without trying to change them. I don’t warn people beforehand. That’s why I’m a chronicler. I speak about us and I speak about myself.
Nobody thinks about technical issues anymore because cameras or camera phones take care of that automatically. On the other hand, you still have the option of controlling every technical aspect. It’s the most accessible, democratic medium available in the world.
Work harder, get closer and be passionate about what you photograph.
The knack is to find your own inspiration and take it on a journey to create work that is personal and revealing.
The thing about tourism is that the reality of a place is quite different from the mythology of it.
Tourism is the biggest industry in the world.
Wealthy people have not disappeared, they are just not so willing to show off their wealth.
Most of the photographs people take with their cameraphones are of little value in terms of documentary.
I am not a huge follower of music and tend to like one CD and play it to death, usually when I am washing up.
I am kept awake by the list of possibilities for shooting more photos and deciding what I must prioritise next.
I am away so much, so I rarely see live TV, but I use iPlayer to catch programmes.
I am not as cross about Thatcher now as I was in the ’80s. Begrudgingly, I can see that some of her policies helped modernise Britain.
I never think of photographs as being individual. Always as a group.
When a mother takes pictures of her children on the beach, she doesn’t take herself for an artist; she does it for love, which is an excellent reason, from my point of view.
I accept that all photography is voyeuristic and exploitative, and obviously I live with my own guilt and conscience. It’s part of the test and I don’t have a problem with it.
Unless it hurts, unless there’s some vulnerability there, I don’t think you’re going to get good photographs.
I avoid Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter, and if I need to communicate with someone, I email direct.
Everyone is a photographer now, remember. That’s the great thing about photography.
When I first started learning how to take photographs, you had to spend the first six months figuring out what an f-stop was. Now you just go and take pictures.
Photography’s central role is to be the absolute medium of the day. It is fantastic that there is no longer any technical intimidation.