Williams has been awarded an Excellence Award by Color Magazine; Merit of Excellence for Nature Photography at the Masters Cup Awards; Outstanding Achievement in Photography at the International Spider Awards; and 2nd place Deeper Perspective Photographer of the year at the Lucie Awards Gala at the Lincoln Center, NYC. Other recent accolades include: 1st place at Center’s Singular Image Awards, Fine Art Photographer of the Year at The International Spider Awards in 2004, and editorial features in The New York Times Lens, Lenswork, Rangefinder, Photo District News, B&W, Color, Communication Arts, and Graphis magazine.
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MUSIC MAKERS SERIES
usic Makers is an ongoing series that pays tribute to the faithful disciples of Southern musical traditions. Music, the blues in particular, has always been an interest in my personal and professional life. I’m particularly captivated by the souls who have a commitment to Southern musical practices as a means of self-expression, historical preservation and in the case of many of the Music Makers artists, as an honest means of survival.
In 2004, I photographed “James.” During the photoshoot, this quiet elderly African American man broke out in a simple blues rendition of the song Stardust… High up in the sky the little stars climb, always reminding me that we’re apart…, a favorite tune of his late wife. He was not a musician by trade, but his soulful interpretation of the melody overcame the shakiness of his pitch. James’ delivery was innate.