Cecil Williams
statement
The excitement and honor of being asked to participate in the Palmetto Portraits Series III motivated me photograph a diverse group of friends, family members, and community servants who have contributed to the Midlands and Low Country, South Carolina. The photos in my collections came about sometimes from a “single shot” (Baby, and Scoville Family) to a full-blown session involving hundreds of images such as that of Dr. Leo Twiggs. “I think the light, color, composition and facial expression of my subjects play integral parts in capturing a timeless and story-telling portrait.”
bio
Cecil Williams is an Orangeburg, South Carolina based professional photographer. He started taking pictures at nine years old and by 15, was a freelance photographer for JET Magazine. Currently Williams operates a photography-videography-publishing business while working as the Claflin University yearbook and university photographer. He is the author of three books primarily based on his experiences as a civil rights photographer. With a comprehensive photographic collection of the civil rights era appearing in 126 books, 17 newspapers, and 11 television documentaries, Cecil Williams photographs have perpetually preserved the African American experience throughout the second half of the 20th Century.
