Ryan McGinley
My dad was in the Korean War. He got shot seven times. He had seven bullet holes in him. And out of his troop of 35 guys, he was one of nine guys that came back. And when he came back from that he had seven kids in seven years.Collection: Dad
The cool thing for me about moving to New York was that I got to create a new family.Collection: New York
My mom had seven kids in seven years, and then she had me 11 years later. So when I was born, my oldest brother was 18. And my youngest brother was 11. By the time I was 7 or 8, everyone had moved out. I went from being with ten people all the time to being an only child. It really freaked me out.Collection: Mom
I couldn't wait to come to New York to reinvent myself.Collection: New York
I was pretty Irish Catholic Jersey, the middle of the line.Collection: Catholic
There was no luxury. I never got on an airplane until I was 18. We drove everywhere. My dad was like, "Waste not, want not."Collection: Dad
I was growing up in the suburbs; I was one of eight kids. So I did have a community when I was younger, but all of my brothers and sisters were older.Collection: Brother
You find the people that you need to find. There's this gravitational pull.Collection: People
Whatever emotions you're going through, you somehow seek out the people that are going through similar emotions or that maybe have something you need.Collection: People
The thing about being a photographer that's so cool is that you get to participate, but you also get to disappear. The camera is in front of your face all the time.Collection: Cameras
I think a lot about control nowadays, and I really want to let go and just be more in the moment.Collection: Letting Go
The camera gives you some control.Collection: Giving
When I moved to New York, I was still in the closet.Collection: New York
Everyone started to have a camera. That's when I started to travel outside of New York and go into nature.Collection: New York
I really don't want to be part of just one group. I'm interested in doing everything - making music videos, shooting campaigns, having -gallery and museum shows, making movies. Everyone wants to put you in a box, and I'm afraid I'm not that kind of person.Collection: Kind