On the Amish community

When I started the Amish, I was the same way. Every chance, I'd go down -- vacation time, weekends. I would find newspapers with Amish auctions, or something like that. I would go there and I would photograph them. And I had a number of pictures published on the Amish -- Grace Hoyer, which is John Updike's mother -- I had a series of pictures, she did the story and I did photographs for Travel and Camera. And Liberty magazine. But I always did them with -- I never really poked my camera in their faces. They don't like people photographing them. So I either did it with a long lens, which is sneaky in a way. Or a hidden camera. I don't think they minded it so much, as long as the camera wasn't exposed and they weren't exposed to the camera.

. . . It made me feel good, because you don't want to invade anyone's privacy just to take a photograph. But sometimes you do get the feeling that everything is so beautiful and the people are so beautiful, with their clothes and their way of life is so different. When you get into photography, you get the feeling you should do something about it. But you've got to do it with -- have a certain amount of respect for the people. I enjoyed the pictures of the Amish.