From the editors’ article “The Story of Jim French and Colt,” in which Jim French discusses his life and his work:
First off, let me register my discomfort with doing this kind of interview. It’s based on the fact that I am from a generation in which promoting oneself was considered bad form and bad manners. I know that today that adage would have wiped out the careers of Andy Warhol and Madonna. But I just don’t think what I have to say is all that important. What I’ve had to say is seen in the images. I don’t really think who’s done them is interesting. My model for this, if you will, is Irving Penn. Irving Penn is a contemporary of Richard Avedon. Avedon has always relished publicity. You don’t know anything about Irving Penn, other than his photos, and that’s what makes sense to me.