What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given? And by whom? I was the creative director for Norman Jean Roy and he was the one who really helped me fall in love with photography as a medium. He pushed me to shoot my own stuff and always gave me gems that I think of to this day. The advice best was that no matter where you are, who you are shooting, or how difficult the conditions of a shoot may be, there is always a great shot to be found and its YOUR job to find it. Another piece of advice he gave, that I have taken as my daily gospel, is to shoot women as subjects and not objects. I’ve built my entire career around that ethos.

What memorable responses have you had to your work? People seem to respond really well to my work, mainly because I like to shoot people as heroes. In my head they’re all superheroes, no matter who they are. I feel like having the humanistic element to portraiture and also to fashion is something that I have specialized in. It’s not enough to take a technically good photograph, it has to have soul. I strive for that in every photo.

Who are your favorite photographers/ what artists inspire you most? Annie Leibovitz is the ultimate hero to me. No one can touch her career, in my opinion. When she retires, the game will change forever. I also admire and study the works of other photographers such as Irving Penn, Richard Avedon, David Bailey, Steve McCurry, Jeanloup Sieff, and Steven Meisel.