Photos

What's really important is to simplify. The work of most photographers would be improved immensely if they could do one thing: get rid of the extraneous. If you strive for simplicity, you are more likely to reach the viewer.
William Albert Allard



William Albert Allard (born in 1937 in Minneapolis, Minnesota) is an American documentary photographer.



If a subject has a delicate surface to it, you do not want to go charging in there. You need to establish some kind of presence and understanding. I will say, 'Try to forget I'm here. I won't ask you to pose, I won't ask you to do anything.' It's important that I just be allowed to be around, to be present. Photographing people requires a willingness to be rejected. So, I think the best approach is to be honest and direct. Very often, I tell them, "You don't know me. There's no reason why you should trust me...the only thing I can promise is that I'll try to do the most honest work I can. Ultimately, it comes down to somehow being able to instill confidence. I don't think you can bullshit your way into that, because a lot of these people can see through walls. If you want to photograph people, you'd better know something about them. I like to explore, to be sensitive to the rhythms of the moment. Exploration means seeking out what I think is there, and yet often finding something finer, something closer to the center, that no amount of research could have led me to. I tend to react more than direct. You have to be receptive . You have to care. You can't do good work if you don't care. That's not necessarily a strength, but it gives you strength. - William Albert Allard ,

I might have seen color work by Irving Penn or Ernst Haas, but I was really more inspired, in terms of colors, by painters: the Impressionists, Edward Hopper, Matisse. - William Albert Allard

Photography is a way of introducing people to other people . - William Albert Allard ,

* see my HERE WS another B&W version