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New River Free Press International

Tell us about yourself.

What makes you who you are?

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GI I have working class parents and followed that path — I’m a grocery clerk, but somewhere along the way in 1970 I made a trip to Berkeley, went up on the U. C. campus and discovered different Jesus Freaks in competition with each other and a street comedian by the name of XswamiX.

About the same time, I discovered I wanted to photograph some of these characters and so I did. Even though some of these people may be on the fringes of society, photographing them was satisfying.

Neil [Marcus] sort of defines what it is I like to do. If, for example, you wanted to be photographed, we’d go out and take photographs. Then, if you like the images and want to do more, then we may go into the next session excited about it and in Neil’s case we kept doing it — I have taken 800 photos of Neil — we’ve done it for four or five years, and may continue doing it.

I’m fortunate enough to do something that gives me joy.

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New River Free Press International

What was your vision of society that

brought you to the work you do?

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GI The societal convention for a working class person is to get a job, move into suburbia, have kids, and buy an SUV made in Detroit.

I stepped out of that and I discovered Neil and I discovered Haight Street [in San Francisco] and I discovered them through the lens of a camera.

And was that fun?!

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New River Free Press International

What do you think we should

remember as we remake the world

through the work we do?

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GI I think we should remember respect and all its tenets — self-respect, respect for others, courtesy. Things which I sometimes abandon.

What I try to do in my photography is never to forget the dignity of the subject.

I try not to lose sight of that.

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New River Free Press International

Has your vision changed

as you have participated

in the remaking of the world?

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GI Yes. And it’s changed for the better. I’m less judgmental, and as a result, I’m more accepting.

My greatest barrier is my own inertia. And the older I get — the greater my set of experiences — the more I’m aware of this inertia and the more I’m able to overcome it.

About things at large — I wish I was less of a coward.

As an example, I constantly see people whom I want to  photograph.

I wish I could overcome my shyness and ask more of them for permission to take their pictures.

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New River Free Press International

What challenges do you perceive in

achieving your vision of society?

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GI Greater harmony. It’s a cliched statement, but I think it applies.

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New River Free Press International

What needs to be done to overcome

these challenges?

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GI More photographs.

I think at the basic level we need to give ourselves and others an opportunity. I mean — I don’t know who you are, but I took a chance; you didn’t know who I was, you took a chance.

We need to take a chance with each other.

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New River Free Press International

What pointers would you

give young people of the 9/11

generation as they work in

public service assignments?

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GI Being less tentative when it comes to day-to-day interactions with other people. This is easy to do. Most of us do help others because we get a payback out of it.

If we didn’t, we wouldn’t do it.

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New River Free Press International

What personal lessons have you

learned from the effect of war

on children in Africa and Asia?

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GI The lesson I’ve learned is that I’m too immune to what’s going on — it’s geographically so far away that it’s an abstraction.

I believe that we disregard our children. We abandon them — we have wars.

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New River Free Press International

What personal lessons have you

learned from the post-Hurricane

Katrina tragedies in New Orleans?

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GI That deep racial bias is.

If Katrina had struck the Hamptons, the response would have been very different.

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New River Free Press International

What personal and public lessons have you

learned from the devastation caused by the

Asian Tsunami and the South Asian Earthquake?

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GI Personal lesson is that there was an amazingly positive response from those people on the scene who offered a pair of hands, a plastic bottle of water, a place to live.

The public lesson is that we’re — the grand we — are still ignoring the imminent devastation [possibility of natural disasters in many places].

I sleep over the Hayward fault.

Why do we do this?

I’m gambling.

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New River Free Press International

How have these lessons changed your life?

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GI I think I’m more aware. And I’m acting on this awareness.