Quotes from David LaChapelle

You work with people who are obsessive about shopping, obsessive about owning things and buying things, like this purchase is going to make them happy. And you want to say to them, 'You know, no amount of real estate is gonna fill that void.'

I'm a photographer, period. I love photography, the immediacy of it. I like the craft, the idea of saying 'I'm a photographer.'

I never want people to be repulsed with my pictures; I always want to attract people.

I've never wanted to be part of an inner circle of any scene. I've always been an outsider looking to question and subvert.

Just as Renaissance artists provided narratives for the era they lived in, so do I. I'm always looking beyond the surface. I've done that ever since I first picked up a camera.

There's nothing that symbolizes loss or grief more than a mother losing a child.

I love when people write about something, I learn what I'm doing through the eyes of a good critic, positive or negative. It's still a learning experience.

A psychologist recently wrote that "aesthetics have replaced ethics, so that stealing is no longer immoral, but being ugly and fat is." I'm drawn to people still willing to work against this frightening irony.

I had this duality growing up with my dad being a strict Catholic and his brother being a priest and my mother finding God in nature, so I've taken a little from both [traditions].

I am not God. But I can only do my role here on this planet. The role I feel I was given since I was a kid was to be making art and I only wanted to give and I never let money be my God.

Success to me is being a good person, treating people well.

I didn't see any difference between being a photographer or being an artist. I didn't make those boundaries. If someone wants to think it's art, that's great, but I'll let history decide.

My pictures are about getting as far away from reality as possible. Dreams should be part of our everyday life.

For me, it's easier to like more things than to dislike them; I'm not a critic in that sense. I find it easier to like more, to be more open and enjoy more things, which has given me more opportunities.

The adornment of the body is a human need. I don't see anything superficial about it unless your life becomes very materialistic.

My dream since I was a kid was to show in a gallery.

With mania, is it dangerous to ride that euphoric feeling. You feel very animated and creative; I would fill journals with drawings. It feels good and you want it to last, but it can lead to being delusional. The delusions can be as real as you thinking you can fly.

I think we're in a post-pornographic time and nothing seems shocking, but everything remains carnal no matter what you do.

I like the consistency of having people in my life for a long time.

I would rather die than be a serious artist, or a fake artist.

We have the ability to make the connection, make the time to pray and meditate. We have to find our inner voice that will guide us. But we can only find it if we get quiet.

People get devalued in Hollywood when they age, despite all their efforts to stay relevant and beautiful and young. They can't get jobs anymore.

I have this idea that you can use glamour and still have it represent something that matters.

I believe in a visual language that should be as strong as the written word.