Eugene Richards (born 1944) is an American documentary photographer living in Brooklyn, New York. He has published many books of photography and has been a member of Magnum Photos and of VII Photo Agency. He was born in Dorchester, Massachusetts.

Early life and education

Richards was born and grew up in Dorchester, Massachusetts. He received a BA in English from Northeastern University then studied photography at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, supervised by Minor White.

Life and work

During the 1960s, Richards was a civil rights activist and VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America) volunteer. 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. 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". Richards founded Many Voices Press to publish his books, beginning with Dorchester Days. He was invited to join Magnum Photos in 1978, where he remained until 1995, then rejoined in 2002 for three more years. He joined VII Photo Agency in 2006. He lives in Brooklyn, New York.

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Videos of Richards