I'm a street photographer, but I'm interested in any ironic, whimsical images, and there's something very romantic about a circus.

I don't relax. I can't take vacations. I'm obsessive-compulsive, and I worry with every project that I'm going to fail. When it starts to go well, and I sense that something beautiful and important and meaningful is being created, it's a fantastic feeling, and I find it very hard to stop.

During prom season, I travel around the country with a 20-by-24 camera - which is logistically complicated - and photograph proms. My husband made a film of it.

Looking at my own prom photograph reminds me of how significant that moment was - and how fleeting life is.

I think the prom is very serious also. It's an American ritual, it's a rite of passage, and it's very much a part of this country.