I really knew when I started photographing I wanted it to be a way of knowing different cultures, not just in other countries but in this country, too, and I knew I wanted to be a voyeur.
— Mary Ellen Mark
The obsessions we have are pretty much the same our whole lives. Mine are people, the human condition, life.
I'm just interested in what makes a photograph.
I think the prom is very serious also. It's an American ritual, it's a rite of passage, and it's very much a part of this country.
Reality is always extraordinary.
I was fascinated by my own prom pictures.
I just think it's important to be direct and honest with people about why you're photographing them and what you're doing. After all, you are taking some of their soul.
