A freelance photographer, writer and a teacher, Eugene Richards is a storyteller of the common people. Twice named U. S. magazine photographer of the year, he is often considered one of the worlds best documentary photographers for his hard hitting explorations of our society. Richards currently works with Time Life, national history and the New York Times and is the author of nine books including below the line, American we and the knife and gun club. All in which he uses a combination of photograph and elegantly written narrative to show an idiosyncratic portrait of the American people.
Richards focus is that of the ignored; a people that otherwise have been forgotten. Its his compassion to his subjects and his commitment to them that surpasses the act of making a pretty picture. Spending days with his subjects in the slums of Harlem or the hardly developed mountains of West Virginia he immerses himself into the frequently bitter life of his next award-winning photo. Often including word for word text of testimonials recorded by junkies and destitute farmers, Richards is able to provide an unbiased portrayal.
All he has done is to select and make us look at the faces of the ignored, opinions and reactions are left to be made by the viewer. Have you ever been at the beach safely shielded by a dark pair of sunglasses and just watched Being a silent third party to a father screaming at his seven-year-old daughter for putting the inner tube in the wrong place. People watching has for a long time been one of my favorite activities as third party you are able to see people for what they are, unbiased by already having known the person. Eugene Richards book has made me look at my hobby from an artistic vantage point. Hes made me start to think that one day I would like to be one behind a telephoto lens capturing those moments that people dont think anyone else saw. Richards photographs have made me relies that photograph is more then a point a shoot process.
The Essay on Mistakes That I Made Learned Time Addiction
There is much to learn from failure. When you fail at something you realize the mistakes that you made. You learn how you should have done things in order not to make the mistakes that you did. The next time you try to succeed at the same task you can apply when you learned from your mistakes. I was once in love with a girl named Allison. At the time I was dealing with a drug addiction. I lied to ...
Its about the image, its about the experience, its about the hunt, and its about looking and seeing. For the moment I my self am with out a defined higher purpose concerning my art. Im am still in the beginning stages of building a resource of knowledge and technical ability. So that one day I might be able to capture the true essence of heartache or pure joy through the lens of my own camera with the same honor and dignity as Eugene Richards..
