When I shoot a picture of somebody who's really seriously hurt, there's an unspoken exchange. Even if I could speak the language, I could not formulate the question, which is: "Can I take your picture?" In that situation, taking a
photograph for the sake of taking a photograph is very trivial. The challenge is finding the language to say, "Can I take your picture in a way that is meaningful?"
You don't do it with words. You do it with the eyes. You're present there with them and they know that you have a question to ask. They read your body
language and they decide whether to show themselves or to hide, whether they want to be photographed. They answer with their own unspoken language. I
mean, you see it right away. You can feel it right away. It's in the eyes, and they tell you, "Yes, I want you to show this to the world."