Herb Ritts

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

— Herb Ritts

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

— Herb Ritts

To me it's just going for the moment that counts. Sometimes, I'll have all the elements there, and I like to play…

— Herb Ritts

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

— Herb Ritts

Many people who excel are self-taught.

— Herb Ritts

What I particularly liked was that, coming from California and not being involved in the New York scene, I developed my personal…

— Herb Ritts

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

— Herb Ritts

The education, the cultural awareness, is different in Europe, especially in France, from that in the United States. So I think the…

— Herb Ritts

I think a lot of the time these days people are so concerned about having the right camera and the right film…

— Herb Ritts

I did grow up next door to Steve McQueen, who was a very famous movie star at the time, but as a…

— Herb Ritts

It's important to let your subjects be themselves.

— Herb Ritts

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

— Herb Ritts

I like form and shape and strength in pictures.

— Herb Ritts

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

— Herb Ritts

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

— Herb Ritts

It's always more comforting to know that in any given corner of any room or any location you're on, you can make…

— Herb Ritts

Well, I liked it - that was the main thing. I liked it, but I didn't think of it in terms of…

— Herb Ritts

I think knowing people by first names, not by what they do sexually, is really what it's about. Not being afraid. Fear…

— Herb Ritts

I always enjoyed art history because, growing up in California, my exposure was limited, and it was a new experience. To learn…

— Herb Ritts

That's why I felt so at home when I went to Africa. It didn't matter that I was halfway around the world…

— Herb Ritts

When you start out, you're not really aware. I didn't have a sense of photographic history.

— Herb Ritts

Each time I did assignments or editorials, I realized that I wanted to do something more. I saw that it wasn't just…

— Herb Ritts

I'd go down to the end of my street, to a garage that had a certain feeling about it, or a particular…

— Herb Ritts

Once you develop your own style, you know when you're able to give your best. Feeling at home is part of it,…

— Herb Ritts

I'm pretty selective. I generally edit the contact sheets and then do work prints. Because I have my own lab and printers,…

— Herb Ritts