Kathy Willens / AP Photo
The heavyweight world champion Muhammad Ali had his headgear adjusted by coach Chris Dundee on December 21, 1977 in Miami Beach.
By the time Kathy Willens graduated from college, she had largely resigned herself to becoming a starving artist. Instead, she became a photographer and worked for the Associated Press for nearly 45 years, winning multiple awards for her coverage of breaking news and general news, features, sports, fashion and celebrities.
When Willens started out, there were very few female photojournalists working by her side, and the entire industry was analog – photographers made their own film and typed their captions. At the end of Willens’ career, 95,000 of her images were on the AP Images website.
We met Willens two weeks after she retired (“I didn’t have a moment to relax!” She said) to talk about sports photography, long lenses, and what it was like to cover sports, presidents, and the Mariel boat lift.
Kathy Willens / AP Photo
Avant-garde artist Andy Warhol takes a photo of a courtyard in the Amsterdam Palace Hotel in Miami on September 6, 1980.
How did you get into photography?
My career started in 1974. I worked for a little pink tabloid called Spinal Column – it was literally pink. It was a disposable paper that people used to cover their birdcage floors. It was a suburb, out of suburb, outside of Detroit, where I grew up. Photography seemed like the most viable career choice. In my first job, I thought I was making $ 50 per photo; It ended up being $ 5.
I got a tip that the Miami News was looking for a lab technician. In the end, I got this job [later] 1974. I was working there for six months when a staff member left and I got on as a full time photographer. Miami was very different from where I grew up. I ended up shooting things like tent wakes and pictures of a crime scene on I-95, probably stupid evidence contaminated, but no police were there yet. But these images made the front page or featured prominently. In late 1976, the local Associated Press picture editor approached me with an offer to replace an outgoing employee, and I worked for them for nearly 45 years.
Kathy Willens / AP Photo
Pastor Gérard Jean-Juste and Haitian defense lawyer Ira Kurzban at a deportation press conference in Miami, 1981.
What were the big stories of the day?
One that spoke to me were stories about Haitian and Cuban immigrants, stories that were big and enduring. It all happened in 1980, it was a crazy year. There hasn’t been a year like it except now. This year has been similarly transformative for me and everyone else in Miami. There was the McDuffie Riots in 1980 and then the Cuban Mariel boat lift. [The McDuffie riots] were the consequences of the acquittal of four white police officers when a black man died. Many people died in the violence and chaos that first night. I couldn’t leave the office to take pictures, the phone rang all night and I answered it. I reached out to J. Scott Applewhite, then a freelancer shooting for AP.
And the Haitian immigration and migration stories. They were very close to me. I came into contact with a Haitian activist priest named Reverend Gérard Jean-Juste and he gave me great access to tell these refugee stories. These photos are very close to me, but some of them have never been shown. Before leaving, I had the Associated Press scan them for storage in the archives.
Hurricane Andrew was a big story in Miami too. Latin America has always been a great story. Nicaragua, the Iran-Contra Scandal and Oliver North. I was also in El Salvador. When I switched to that [AP’s] In the New York office in 1993, I went to Somalia, which was a total mess when I was there. It was the same year as the Black Hawk Down incident. The AP reporter who had been to Somalia, Tina Susman, was kidnapped and three weeks after I left Somalia, the photographer who replaced me was killed. When I came back I thought about what I wanted to do. I felt it was so close to being me. And I chose to stay closer to home, which included shooting more news and sports.
Kathy Willens / AP Photo
In this photo dated May 19, 1980, people walk past ruins in the Culmer neighborhood of Miami after rioting over the acquittal of four police officers charged in 1979 for beating Arthur McDuffie, a black motorcyclist.
I can imagine the gender dynamic was different in the 1970s.
It was very different. I was so young and surrounded by middle-aged men, older than middle-aged. There were two female photographers in Florida, Mary Lou Foy at the Miami Herald and Pamela Smith at the Sun Sentinel in Fort Lauderdale. The expectations placed on me were simply too great. If nothing was going on, assume me and photograph women on the beach in Miami. I found a woman wearing the tightest bikini I could find and I took her picture, printed it out, blew it up and hung it on our office wall and told everyone this was the LAST woman we saw I would take a picture in a bikini. It was a women’s game and I found it unacceptable to ask myself for it.
When it came to sports coverage, I was almost always the only woman on the field. I didn’t have any role models, but in general I looked up to war photographer Susan Meiselas, even though she was probably younger than me. I also studied the portraits and photojournalism of Annie Leibovitz and the street photography of Helen Levitt.
Kathy Willens / AP Photo
East Team John Wall of the Washington Wizards dips the ball in the first half of the NBA All-Star basketball game, February 15, 2015, in New York.
With exercise, what made you stick with it and what was it like covering Muhammad Ali?
I covered Ali at 5th Street Gym in Miami. It’s similar to Gleason’s Gym in New York City. I [had] I never covered any of his matches because they were all over the world and I was low on the totem pole. He was near the end of his career when I met him. The AP always sent senior citizens – men, I might add.
It was fun to be part of that culture. My boyfriend at the time was an excellent sports reporter, so I got advice on all sorts of things. For me, exercise has the ability to capture those moments of extreme emotion. The joy of it, it’s right in front of you all the time. It’s so ubiquitous and condensed into a short period of time. It also took great pictures. I always had to study on the go. My second boss at AP Miami, Phillip K. Sandlin, was extremely good at capturing those moments. He had a long lens, the longest lens, like a 500-600mm equivalent. I was editing his film and watching him edit and I tried to imitate that. He accused me of taking too many pictures. He would shoot a roll of 36 and maybe have four or five great pictures on it. I would have to do six or seven times as many roles to get a good picture.
How do you feel about the industry after leaving it?
I have the feeling that the job is in very good hands at the moment. We are in a time of re-evaluation where women, including women of color and diverse photographers as a whole, are being explored and involved. It is great. The job is changing and the pay may not be that high. I don’t know if it’s easier or more difficult to apply on the apps and social media. But there are so many more opportunities for women than there were in my time, and people are taking advantage of them. I think that’s a really good sign.
Kathy Willens / AP Photo
Serena Williams is celebrating at the US Open tennis tournament in New York on September 10, 1999.
Kathy Willens / AP Photo
New York Yankees outfielder Jimmy Wynn (center) is strengthened by fellow outfielder Reggie Jackson (left) and Paul Blair on March 1, 1977 at the Yankees spring training camp in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Kathy Willens / AP Photo
The deep-sea tug Dr. On May 6, 1980, Daniels headed for the Key West naval pier with 700 to 900 people on board. It was the largest ship with the most refugees from Cuba since the Cuban boat lift began two weeks earlier.
Kathy Willens / AP Photo
In this file photo dated October 15, 1977, Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip wave to the people in Clifford Park in Nassau upon their arrival in Nassau, Bahamas.
Kathy Willens / AP Photo
First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton leans over to help Dan Quan, 9, spell out his “I Have a Dream” task at New York’s PS 154 in Harlem on January 26, 1998.
Kathy Willens / AP Photo
Jay-Z (left) speaks to Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James in New York on December 8, 2014.
Kathy Willens / AP Photo
Haitians, led by Rev. Jesse Jackson, demonstrate in Miami on April 19, 1980.
Kathy Willens / AP Photo
A mourner at the funeral for Haitian drowning victims, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, 1982.
Kathy Willens / AP Photo
Hassan Riyole, 10, recites prayers from the Koran with his father Osman on May 25, 1993 in their straw hut in Dheeray, Somalia.
Kathy Willens / AP Photo
Haitians demonstrate in Miami on April 19, 1980.
Kathy Willens / AP Photo
President Bill Clinton greets Pope John Paul II upon his arrival at Newark International Airport in New Jersey on October 4, 1995.
Kathy Willens / AP Photo
New England Patriots cornerback Malcolm Butler (left) intercepts a pass destined for Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Ricardo Lockette (83) in Glendale, Arizona on February 1, 2015.
Kathy Willens / AP Photo
New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso takes his position between innings of the team’s game against the Chicago Cubs on June 17, 2021 in New York.
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