The son of a Swedish immigrant, William Albert Allard was born in 1937 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He studied at the Minneapolis School of Fine Arts and the University of Minnesota. Allard is a photographer of people. From the beginning of his illustrious career in 1964 as a National Geographic photographic intern, Allard has contributed to 44 Geographic articles as a staff, freelance, and contract photographer and writer. His stories for the magazine have included "Rodeos: Behind the Chutes," "India's Untouchables," "Bohemian Rhapsody," and "Hutterite Sojourn."

William Albert Allard’s most recent book, Paris: Eye of the Flaneur, published in fall 2017 by Edition Lammerhuber in Vienna, Austria, is a 31-year retrospective of his work roaming the streets of his beloved Paris.

Allard has published six previously acclaimed books including his first, Vanishing Breed, of which the Associated Press said, "This is a classic." Published in 1982, Vanishing Breed was nominated for the American Book Award for 1982, and was the winner of the Wrangler Western Heritage Award for Outstanding Western Art Book, 1983, and was awarded the Leica Medal of Excellence, 1983.

Once described as “a romantic model for a generation of American photographers,” National Geographic photographer William Albert Allard’s distinguished career has spanned five decades. Though he has covered diverse places and subjects around the world, perhaps the most memorable images depict American subcultures: the Amish, cowboys, blues music, the Hutterites, and many more. His straightforward portraits echo his deep human sympathy and compassion for his fellow man.

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