Quotes by
William Albert Allard

[b. 1937] American documentary photographer

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In my photography, color and composition are inseparable. I see in color.

William Albert Allard

Photographic Essay (American Photographer Master Series) by William Albert Allard

This book is available from Amazon

I think the 50(mm lens) is an extremely good discipline lens; it requires you to see in a more refined way, not just tighter.

William Albert Allard

Photographic Essay (American Photographer Master Series) by William Albert Allard

This book is available from Amazon

You've got to push yourself harder. You've got to start looking for pictures nobody else could take. You've got to take the tools you have and probe deeper.

William Albert Allard

Photographic Essay (American Photographer Master Series) by William Albert Allard

This book is available from Amazon

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. [Allard often credits "Serendipity" for the success of his pictures.] 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 [to your subject]. 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

Photographic Essay (American Photographer Master Series) by William Albert Allard

This book is available from Amazon

What is right? Simply put, it is any assignment in which the photographer has a significant spiritual stake...spiritually driven work constitutes the core of a photographer's contribution to culture.

William Albert Allard

on the right photo assignment.

Photographic Essay (American Photographer Master Series) by William Albert Allard

This book is available from Amazon

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

My goal has always been, to make pictures that could be published in a magazine as part of a story, but that could also carry their weight on the walls of a gallery or museum.

William Albert Allard

The Joy of Photographing People by Eastman Kodak Staff

ISBN: 0201116944 Page: 167 This book is available from Amazon

I don't expect every frame to be brilliant. And I don't feel guilty about the amount of film when the failures are promising or interesting - when the picture almost made it.

William Albert Allard

There's no secret to people photography except intimacy. You can't establish rapport if you're hiding behind a tree and shooting with a long lens. Robert Capa talked about making stronger pictures by getting closer in a physical way, but it's very valid psychologically too. You have to project that you're trustworthy - in words, mannerisms, and voice.

William Albert Allard

Explore with the camera from various angles. The difference between a nice picture and a really fine one is often a matter of inches of bending your knees a bit or shifting to the right or left. Move your vision six inches and you can make a tremendous change.

William Albert Allard

I think the best pictures are often on the edges of any situation, I don't find photographing the situation nearly as interesting as photographing the edges.

William Albert Allard

Photographic Essay (American Photographer Master Series) by William Albert Allard

This book is available from Amazon

...words and pictures can work together to communicate more powerfully than either alone.

William Albert Allard

Photographic Essay (American Photographer Master Series) by William Albert Allard

This book is available from Amazon

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

Photographic Essay (American Photographer Master Series) by William Albert Allard

This book is available from Amazon

All I need is my brains, my eyes and my personality, for better or for worse.

William Albert Allard

Photographic Essay (American Photographer Master Series) by William Albert Allard

This book is available from Amazon

I believe in the resonance and staying power of quiet photographs. The photos in this book were not hard to make. They required a certain seeing, but few special techniques, and no tricks. Something though was hard. It was hard being between photographs and not knowing when or how another image would reveal itself.

William Albert Allard

Photographic Essay (American Photographer Master Series) by William Albert Allard

This book is available from Amazon

Photography is a way of introducing people to other people.

William Albert Allard

The Joy of Photographing People by Eastman Kodak Staff

ISBN: 0201116944 Page: 167 This book is available from Amazon

In so many cases the photograph is a momentary thing that is soon going to change. Once it’s gone, it’s gone. We have to put it in the box when it happens.

William Albert Allard

The Joy of Photographing People by Eastman Kodak Staff

ISBN: 0201116944 Page: 167 This book is available from Amazon

I love this work - making pictures and exploring with a camera - probably more today than ever. I try very hard to get assignments that I really care about; otherwise it would be just a job.

William Albert Allard

When you photograph, you're putting together a puzzle and there are an infinite number of ways to do that. Ultra wide-angle lenses can be difficult to use well because they add more pieces. You think you're getting everything in the frame, but is it all tied together? Does the primary subject relate to all the pieces around it? Is there a sense of balance and grace?

William Albert Allard

Quotes by William Albert Allard

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Quotes by
William Albert Allard