Terry Richardson is an international celebrity, and also one of the most compelling and controversial photographers in the world. With the uncanny ability to disarm his subjects, he has photographed political leaders, fashion models, and cultural figures. As of late, he has thrust himself into the spotlight by including himself in many of his photographs. Thus, his bold-rimmed frames, sideburns, and cheeky smile have become his trademark, and made him almost as recognizable as any of the A-list celebs who’ve worked with him. His photographs are provocative, spontaneous, and humorous; and his style truly unique.
Richardson was born in New York City and raised in Hollywood. His father is Bob Richardson, who was also famous fashion photographer in 60s’. He began photographing when he was in high school. At the time he played bass guitar for a “The Invisible Government”, a punk rock band, and was relatively shy as a teen. The band was together for 5 years before it broke up, at which point Richardson put all of his attention into photography. In the 1990’s, he started his career in New York City. He began very modestly, working in the East Village and Tompkin’s Square Park, taking pictures of children, homeless people, and drug addicts.
He established his own style which included starkly lit, colorful, sexual, and humorous depictions of his subjects. His work is heavily defined by the simplicity of a simple white backdrop. It was after publishing his first book, “Hysteric Glamour”, that he first gained recognition. Since then he has released several more books, depicting both his eye for the beautiful and his downright over-the top endless imagination.
Richardson has shot advertisements for fashion designers, including Gucci, Chloe, Miu Miu, Eres, Tommy Hilfiger, Supreme, Hugo Boss, and Sisley. Richardson has also shot editorial photographs for French Vogue, British Vogue, i-D, Harper's Bazaar, The Face, and GQ. His impressive list of subjects includes Barack Obama, Leonardo DiCaprio, Vincent Gallo, Tom Ford, Jay-Z, Kanye West, Johnny Knoxville, Karl Lagerfeld, Pharell Williams and many others. Richardson's photo books include, Hysteric Glamour, 1998; Son of Bob, 1999; Feared by Men Desired by Women, 2000; Too Much, 2001, Terryworld and Kibosh, both released in 2004.
His collaboration with Sisley has been the most rewarding for Richardson. Sisley has given him freedom to create whatever he wants to shoot. That kind of freedom has removed all barriers to his creativity and as Richardson puts it; let him be him. Without pressure to conform, his work has evolved to his own taste. Many critics will peg Richardson’s work as unsophisticated, stating that it’s downright crude and inappropriate. But that doesn’t faze him. His photographs aren’t complex but very powerful nonetheless. In his eyes, it’s the story and the atmosphere that he creates through the photograph that’s most important. Simple is better, and catching the viewer’s eye is all that really matters. Shock and awe, are very distinctive of his style.
Given Richardson’s rise to stardom through his work, one would assume he uses the most advanced equipment but that would be inaccurate. Though he might use a DSLR on certain professional shoots, he’s still a fan of the point and shoot and much of his work is done with it as the primary tool. He says it’s disarming in the sense that it’s more discreet and versatile, as opposed to larger cameras and in the end it gets the job done.
Richardson has done a great job of self-promotion as a photographer. He's learnt to create value for himself and for his clients through his off the wall shoots and it becomes difficult to make a distinction as to whether he is the subject or the photographer of his own work. His style tends to emphasize the person that's being shot, bringing out the humor, sexuality, and rawness that another photographer could not capture.
Richardson is one of the most controversial photographer on this planet. However, his work has influenced many young photographers, and encouraged them to initiate their own style. Just as Helmut Newton work shocked the public in the 1940’s,50’s and 60’s with his sexually explicit work, unheard of at the time, so to has Terry Richardson does that for our generation. Friendly smile and old fashion big glasses have became his icon. Richardson has left his mark on the photography as a means of artistic expression and his work will be remembered long after his appeal has. Recently he has explored other endeavors, which include not only photography, but projects in both music videos and on the big screen.
