For more than four decades, I have photographed people as they move among the family, community, and public worlds they inhabit.

I am not drawn to scenes because they are picturesque or historically important. I am drawn to moments when something beneath the surface briefly shows itself – in a gesture, a glance, a posture, an exchange. My work begins in instinct, in a visceral response to what is revealed before it can be articulated. The camera becomes a way of staying with that moment before it disappears.

Although this work is often called documentary, I do not think of the images simply as historical artifacts. They are records of encounters—between myself and the subject, between the subject and the world around them, and eventually, between the image and the viewer.

Across cultures and generations, I keep returning to the public self, examining how individuals are shaped by the world around them while also helping shape the world that comes into being.

I continue to photograph from my studio in Midtown Manhattan and around the world. This body of work is active and evolving, remaining deeply attuned to the quiet rhythms of everyday life.