2. Bill Biggart
• Born in Berlin in 1947
• He was the second oldest from 12
children
• Irish-Catholic family
• He moved to New York in the 1970’s
as an adult
• He married twice and had 3 kids
• 1 kid with his first wife
• 2 kids with his second wife
Photo by: Unknown
Photo source: http://www.habluetzel.com/cover_story.htm/
3. Bill’s Career Path
• He began his career in 1967 as a commercial
photographer in New York
• In 1973, he went to Wounded Knee to cover the American
Indian protest movement
• After getting past the FBI boundary he was captured by the
overwhelmed protestor who assumed he was a federal agent.
• Although some of his film was confiscated, his “gift for gab” got him
released.
4. Bill’s Career Path
• In 1985, he immediately closed his studio after receiving his
first press card.
• He then began shooting black and white images. He “hated
color and only came back to it when he grudgingly accepted
digital photography methods.”
• Over the years Bill photographed
• Racism in New York
• The KKK in the South
• The Palestinian uprising and refugee camps in Israel
• The life of people in Northern Ireland
• The fall of the Berlin Wall
• And MUCH more
5. Bill’s Career Path
• He was one of the first member of Impact Visuals
(1989-until he was killed)
• Cooperative photo agency
• Devoted to social change & alternative news
• He was also a freelance photographer for:
• Reuters
• Agence France Press
• Sipa Press
6. Bill’s Work
• His work appears in…
• The City Sun
• The Village Voice
• Christian Science Monitor
• US News and World Report
• Time
• Newsweek
• New York Post
• New York Times
• New York daily News
And many other worldwide publications.
7. Bill’s era of photojournalism
• Bill Biggart began his career in the late 1960’s and
continued until he died while photographing the 9/11
attack on September 11, 2001.
Photography is a competitive
field. “It's one of the few fields
where age and college
degrees aren't as important as
a good eye, a quality product,
and self discipline.”
Photo by: Unknown
Photo source: http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-16838299/stock-photo-female-blue-eye-looking-through-a-digital-camera-lens.html
8. What motivated Bill?
• As a spot photographer, Bill was known to cover the
stories that most interested him not the stories that the
editor selected
• “He loved the streets”
• “He has a strong interest in minorities”
• “Bill loved films he gave his life to it”
• “Passion”
9. Motivation
• “Bill’s photos display his independent
spirit and his exuberant passion for
life and photography. He was a
person who loved his work and was
working at what he loved right up to
the end.”
-His wife, Wendy Doremus-
Photo by: Unknown
Photo source:
http://www.heandsheeatclean.com/2012/07
/motivational-monday-are-you-your-
best.html
10. Camera & Technology
• Bill used digital cameras and film
• “He loved the technique from the noise of the shutter to
the processing of the film.”
• “He loved the magic of the still camera and always kept
one at the foot of the bed.”
• “When digital camera arrived he was furious he hated the
technology.”
• “He said it would kill the profession.”
11. Ethical Dilemma?
• While covering the plight of
the Palestinian people, he
was arrested by Israeli police
and beaten for “being in the
wrong place at the wrong
time.”
Photo by: Unknown
Photo source: http://www.ada.org/8180.aspx
12. Bias?
• Bill was against biases
• “Bill felt compelled to expose the
injustices of racism in America”
• This was shown through much of
his work that covered racism
(1977-2000)
Photo by: Unknown
Photo source: http://www.lisascottlaw.com/
13. Berlin: 1989
• Everyone in Germany
wanted the wall to fall.
• You can see a smile on
some of their faces.
• I feel that this picture
represents their first step
to freedom. They are half
way over the wall.
• Bill loved black and white
photography and this was
obvious through many of
his images.
Photo by: Bill Biggart
Photo source: http://www.billbiggart.com/berlin_1.html
The Fall of the Wall
14. New York: 1990
• Bill kept it simple in this picture
of a bike that was almost buried
in a snow storm in NY.
• It is easy to see that this was
taken during or soon after the
storm finished. The texture of
the snow looks fresh.
• If the bike was not in the picture
it would not be as easy to see
how deep the snow is.
• The pole in the picture is a great
use of line to separate the
sidewalk from the cars in the
road.
“Still life in snow”
Photo by: Bill Biggart
Photo source: http://www.billbiggart.com/nyc_11.html
15. New York: 1997
• The main subject of this
photo takes up only
about ¼ of the image.
• By the look on his face
it seems like he knew
that he was being
photographed.
• The “objects” on the
main subject represent
his side of the gay pride
protest.
• Again Bill’s work is
shown in a b/w image.
Photo by: Bill Biggart
Photo source: http://www.billbiggart.com/nyc_1.html
Gay Pride Parade
16. Bill’s final photo: September 11, 2001
• This picture was taken just
before the second World Trade
Tower collapsed on top of him.
• You can easily see that Bill was
trying to get as close to the
World Trade Towers as he
could.
• This photo represents the
determination that he had to get
the best pictures.
• The texture in the image makes
me feel like I am there.
• It creates a feeling of truth and
disbelief at the same time.Photo by: Bill Biggart
Photo source: http://digitaljournalist.org/issue0111/biggart_intro.htm
“We know in his last picture he was
working to the very end, and that's
telling of the commitment he had to
his work.“
17. Impact: How did the photojournalist's images affect
society?
• Bill always got up close an personal in all of his work.
• This was evident in his last photo which was taken on
9/11 when he got too close and The World Trade Tower
collapsed on top of him.
• Many people were amazed with how close he was.
• If you do a Google search of his images now almost all of
the images are the ones that were captured on his flash
card from 9/11.
• This has especially affected his family and close
friends/photojournalists.
18. How does my Major at AIC relate to Bill?
• Bill had a passion for
photography.
• Nursing is also a major that
one must be passionate
about.
• Bill had a desire to capture
images to tell a story.
• In Nursing you must have a
desire to help others.
Photo by: Unknown
Photo source: http://www.livewithpassionnow.com/what-is-
your-passion/
19. How was Bill viewed by others?
• Many of the people who knew Bill viewed him as a “News Junkie”
Photo by: Unknown
Photo source: http://www.movingpictureblog.com/2011/07/confession-of-news-junkie.html
20. “He never stopped moving until the end.”
• “With a press pass around
his neck and a camera bag
over his shoulder, in the
middle of a cross fire – Bill
was in heaven.”
-Wendy Doremus, Bill's Wife-
Photo by: Unknown
Photo source: http://www.billbiggart.com/911.html
