The Photographic Essay

An outgrowth of the profiles of celebrated photographers which have appeared over the years in "American Photographer" magazine, this new series provides an examination of the lives and working methods of today's leading professional photographers. Each volume in the series emphasizes the creative process of a single pre-eminent photographer in a particular field. Each includes a biographical essay with references to the history of the genre, information about business considerations, a visit with the photographer "on location", and a portfolio section that contains examples of the photographer's work accompanied by his or her own commentary. William Albert Allard made his name photographing the expanses of the American West and the colours of Latin America for "National Geographic", "Life" and other picture magazines. His portraits of people in their native environment combine emotional insight with striking composition to create a powerful, unforgettable whole. The portfolio in this book includes images from his photographic essays of American cowboys, rural Peru, the Basque region of the Pyrenees, Australia's Tea and Sugar Train and Oaxaca, Mexico.