David LaChapelle

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

“I moved to New York when I was 15, but my parents lived nearby in Connecticut, so I could go be in this incredible countryside when I needed it.”

“We use fashion for status and to beautify and there's nothing wrong with that, but when it becomes completely unbalanced, then you're living a decadent life. And when that happens on a globa...”

“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...”

“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 like the Eiffel Tower in Las Vegas more than the actual one.”

“I like thinking about the fragility of the human flesh and our bodies - our decay and eventual death.”

“In the fashion world, I was always an outsider, but I made people look good, so I had a career.”

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

“My mother taught me a lot about respect for all living things - for plants and animals. I am a vegetarian. I was brought up that way.”

“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.”

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