It's January 7th, 2010, and this is The Candid Frame. Happy New Year and welcome to a new episode of the show.

It should be an exciting year and I'm looking forward to sharing some great conversations

with you in 2011.

Unfortunately, this year begins on a sad note.

A good friend of mine and former guests of the show, Don Gale,

passed away last month after a long battle with cancer.

I've met a lot of talented photographers over the years,

but I can honestly say that Don was one of the most generous and

sincerest people. It's been my pleasure to know. He was a phenomenal photographer, but was an

even better human being and friend. And anyone who had the opportunity to spend time with him

could testify to that. He will be missed. I'll provide a link to my interview with him on the blog site, and I hope that you'll

take a listen to our conversation if you haven't already.

When I started the show almost four years ago, I had a short list of photographers.

I definitely wanted to interview for this show.

And today's guest was high up on that list. National Geographic photographer William Albert Allard may not be a name you are

familiar with, but you are familiar with his images. In my opinion, he is one of the most amazing

color photographers in the world today, and his use of light is nothing short of remarkable.

Allard has produced phenomenal photographs under conditions that many people would stop shooting in, and he delivers photographs that are nothing short of stunning.

I own all the monographs that he's released of his work, including his latest book,

five decades, a retrospective of his amazing career.

I can't recommend this book enough.

If you only purchase one photographic book this year, this has to be the one.

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