History of Photography - Eugene Richards Term Paper

History of Photography - Eugene Richards - Term Paper Example In retrospect, it became a whole different world that I came to treasure. White taught me to look at light and to slow down and see things in a more meditative fashion, to become more involved.† (Cited from Rosalind Smith, shutterbug.net) In 1968, Eugene resisted a military draft and instead of being sentenced, he was offered a position with VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America) which is a federal program of the â€Å"war on poverty†. About a year and a half later after working with VISTA in Arkansas Eugene became a co-founder for a social service organization and community newspaper known as â€Å"Many Voices† which reported on black political action as well as the Ku Klux Klan. Today Eugene stands as one of the most talked about photographs in the field of Photojournalism, well exhibited and the proud recipient of many awards in his field. Not known for doing happy photographs, but they are most times relatable. This Photographer can shoot photographs that te ll stories to fill the pages of many. Gettyimages.com reported that Eugene’s photographs have been extensively collected and exhibited in more than 40 solo shows in the United States and abroad. Rencontres Internationales de la Photographie in Arles, the International Center of Photography in New York, Centre National de la Photographie and the Foundation Henri Cartier-Bresson in Paris and VISA pour l’Image in Perpignan are but a few of the many institutions that have hosted his exhibitions. In June 2007, Eugene was honored with a large-scale retrospective, Thirteen Books, at the LOOK3 Festival of the Photograph in Charlottesville, Virginia. Eugene Richards’ Career Once he returned to Dorchester, Richards decided to photograph his racially developed neighborhood-after which he published a book â€Å"Dorchester Days†. Eugene then worked as a freelance magazine photographer, undertaking diverse assignments such as; the American family, drug addiction, river blindness, Pediatric AIDS etc. Richards has published a lot of books another being â€Å"Exploring Life† which was inspired by his first wife’s battle with breast cancer. There are instances when Richards reverted to some old-fashioned or yet sometimes hardcore brutal reporting which was depicted in a series he shot in Mexico while working with a Human Rights group. He shot a men’s psychiatric ward, the emptiness and the barely clad inmates alongside a pool of urine cascading through the center of his frame. Undoubtedly one of the greatest photographers of our era, Richards and his work are one. He is always deeply involved. He photographed a young Sicilian woman moments after she has given birth, holding the infant to her as tears of joy slide down her cheeks. Her husband bends to kiss her, still draped in his surgical gown. The photograph, part of the â€Å"American Family† series, was done for Life magazine. (Cited from Rosalind Smith, shutterbug.net) Emotions ran high as Richards documented the joint parenting of two gay couples. The series titled â€Å"Here’s to Love† borders on the edge and the magazine assignment became history when Richards photographed the innocent picture of the baby in a bathtub with one of the men. â€Å"The editor said the baby was learning sexuality from the father,† Richards tells us, â€Å"and I tried to make a point to this editor asking, ‘Well, what have you learnt about sexuality from your parents? Probably about as much as I did—