William Albert Allard on the Passion From Within

“I want to live right in the middle of my story. I just go out and walk through the story… and respond to what I see at that moment.” —William Albert Allard

William Albert Allard claims he isn’t your typical National Geographic photographer. He avoids dangerous situations and diseases and is largely a photographer of people. Allard fell in love with photography early in his life, and started his career as a National Geographic intern in 1964. He has used color photography to explore topics from the American West to the banks of the Seine river in Paris, and has done more than 40 stories for the magazine. Allard relies on having time to explore a story, as well as serendipity to catch the right moment. His passion for the work has meant an American Book Award and the Leica Medal of Excellence in 1983, as well as numerous other accolades. —Caitlin Kleiboer, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

This video portrait was produced by National Geographic magazine in partnership with the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. It is part of an ongoing series of conversations with the photographers of the magazine, exploring the power of photography and why this life of imagemaking suits them so well. Learn more about the making of the series and watch the full trailer here.

View more of William Albert Allard’s work on his website.

Video Production Credits
Photographer: William Albert Allard
Producers: Pamela Chen, NGM
Chad A. Stevens, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Associate Producer: Elyse Lipman, NGM
Editor: Caitlin Kleiboer, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Camera and Sound: Spencer Millsap, NGM, Shannon Sanders, NGM