William Carter

Who is William Carter?

Los Angeles-born William Carter graduated from Stanford University in 1957. He became a professional photographer, writer and editor while concurrently pursuing fine art photography. In New York, Carter worked as a book editor for Harper & Row from 1961-63. Based in Beirut 1964-66, he published in Life, the Sunday Times, Geographical Magazine and others. In 1966-69 he freelanced from London, doing assignments for The New York Times, Women’s Wear Daily, and TWA’s Annual Report.

Returning to San Francisco in 1969, Carter turned to longer-term projects. He published his first book of text and pictures, Ghost Towns of the West, in 1971. His second book, Middle West Country, appeared in 1975. Carter’s activities as a jazz clarinet player in the traditional New Orleans style led him to create his third book of text and photographs, Preservation Hall, in 1991. Increasingly absorbed in fine art photography, he began exhibiting in galleries and published Illuminations, a book of nudes, in 1996. Carter’s fifth book, Causes and Spirits: Photographs from Five Decades is an autobiographical photo-appreciation of humanity worldwide published by Steidl in 2011.