Eugene Richards (born 1944)[1] is an American documentary photographer living in Brooklyn, New York.[2][3][4] He has published many books of photography and has been a member of Magnum Photos[5] and of VII Photo Agency. He was born in Dorchester, Massachusetts.[1]
Eugene Richards | |
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Born | 1944 (age 79–80) |
Alma mater | |
Known for | Photography |
Notable work | Dorchester Days (1978) |
Style | Documentary photography |
Awards | W. Eugene Smith Grant – W. Eugene Smith Memorial Fund 1981 Photojournalism award – Infinity Award 2014 |
Website | www |
Richards was born and grew up in Dorchester, Massachusetts.[1]
He received a BA in English from Northeastern University then studied photography at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, supervised by Minor White.[1]
During the 1960s, Richards was a civil rights activist and VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America) volunteer.[1]
His first book was Few Comforts or Surprises (1973), a depiction of rural poverty in Arkansas. His second book, the self-published Dorchester Days (1978), set in Dorchester, Massachusetts is "an angry, bitter book", both political and personal.[6] Gerry Badger writes that "[Richards's] involvement with the people he is photographing is total, and he is one of the best of photojournalists in getting that across, often helped by his own prose".[6]
Richards founded Many Voices Press to publish his books, beginning with Dorchester Days.[5] He was invited to join Magnum Photos in 1978, where he remained until 1995, then rejoined in 2002 for three more years.[1][5] He joined VII Photo Agency in 2006.[7] He lives in Brooklyn, New York.[2]