Since 1977, I've been trying to photograph the family,and I really didn't know what I was searching for. But it had to do with the fact that I thought the American family was disintegrating, that I didn't think family members were close enough, didn't show enough affection. Sunday New York Times was taken in a very sort of crazy summer morning. This family was kind of wild and nutty and everybody's crashing around. I knew I wanted the father at the head of the table. So I sort of yelled at Michael and I said to Michael, can you sit down there? I needed to have someone sit still, because without any lighting, I needed a long exposure. And so Michael held still and that's why he looks kind of stiff. I only realized what was important about the picture after I blew it up four by five feet, which was the first time I'd ever blown a picture up that size. And really that was quite revolutionary at that time. I think what was important was it had a composition that flowed, it had a focal point, and yet it wasn't stiff. I also wanted the viewer to have to sort of swing through and weave their way into the back of the picture. Because I wanted it to look like it's not easy to get into this place, to get through to these people, to penetrate this world, but you can if you want. I didn’t know my pictures were going to be typecast as photographs that were about the rich or the upper class, but I did know that the world was unusual, it was precious, that it had quality, and it had a beauty and I wanted everyone to see all the beautiful details.
