Herb Ritts Quotes

Many people who excel are self-taught.

I like form and shape and strength in pictures.

Regardless of whether you speak the language or are familiar with a culture, the picture should hold up.

For me, the most important thing I learned was just honing my eye. I think I had a good eye.

Within two hours of where I live, you have mountains and desert as location. I like the natural elements that abstract into light, texture, shape and shadow.

It's important to let your subjects be themselves.

The education, the cultural awareness, is different in Europe, especially in France, from that in the United States. So I think the public will be much more appreciative of many images.

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

What I particularly liked was that, coming from California and not being involved in the New York scene, I developed my personal way, in my own way, at my own pace.

Generally, the French highly promote culture and the arts, and photography is in their blood.

I was an economics major, which I enjoyed because I had a good business sense.

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.

Being an American is about having the right to be who you are. Sometimes that doesn't happen.

I abstract it in my photographs: I like large planes and spaces, areas of texture and light, like deserts or oceans or monumental places.

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

Actually, when I first started dabbling in photography, I was still working for my parents as a salesman.

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.

And what excites me most is the type of public, the fact that the Parisian people have a broader cultural understanding than many Americans do.