'Bill Knight’s photographs are superb. Informal, spontaneous and full of personality, they are the best headshots I’ve ever had.' Ben Power, Tony Award winner.
‘Bill is a fantastic photographer, and always manages to make me feel at ease.’ Carrie Cracknell.
‘Working alongside Bill Knight is an absolute delight.’ Nadine Benjamin.
I photograph people – portraits, theatre, opera, music and dance.
I started in professional photography when I was 18, as a beach photographer at Margate. After a long career break in the law I started again some 20 years ago. I am now based in London.
In portraits I look for a connection with the sitter and I aim for movement and depth. In the theatre and the opera I look for meaning in faces and shapes. For more on my theatre photography see this article.
My exhibition The Refugee’s Gift at St Martin in the Fields in London’s Trafalgar Square showed refugees who have made a contribution to the United Kingdom. My portraits of photographer Elsbeth Juda and scientist Gustav Born from the exhibition are now in the permanent collection at the National Portrait Gallery. The images from the exhibition can be seen here. My exhibition Where I come from, about migrant families, was shown in London and Windsor. One of the images, a portrait of actor Babirye Bukilwa and her sister Vivian was featured throughout the UK in the exhibition Portrait of Britain. My picture of Amelia Odida was a winner in the 2018 Portrait of Britain exhibition, and my portrait of Archbishop John Sentamu was featured in the Portrait of Britain book for 2022. This flower seller featured in Portrait of Humanity in 2024.
My exhibition Phenomenal Women showed 45 portraits of the UK's Black Female Professors. It was at London's City Hall, in the open air on London's South Bank outside the Royal Festival Hall and then at Cambridge. I wrote about the exhibition here.
My recent work includes portraits for National Life Stories at the British Library, portraits of members of the Athenaeum, portraits of young musicians for the Royal Philharmonic Society and the Musicians Company and a portrait of Professor Sir David Cannadine as president of the British Academy. I have also photographed the hosts of the UK's Tidal Bells.
In a former life I was senior partner at international law firm Simmons & Simmons, President of the City of London Law Society, Deputy Chairman of Council at Lloyd’s of London and Chairman of the Financial Reporting Review Panel. In 2012 I was awarded the OBE for services to financial regulation.
Bill Knight