About

I am originally from Philadelphia, but I now live in Oakland CA with my wife and our two cats. Although I transitioned through several career paths, I finally found a snug fit as an Instructional Designer, in part because it requires a good understanding and application of graphic design. I have always had a creative life that paralleled my professional one. I have used a camera throughout my life, but especially when traveling. Travel sparked my motivation to move deeper into photography. Photography is important to me because it is how I see the world; it’s also a way I document and add meaning to my life experiences. 

I think of my recent project work as a narrative about people’s impact on place and place’s impact on the people who live there. My strong interest in place and people influences occurred partly due to losing my father when I was ten. I was an only child and my parents were from Europe. I had no extended family in the US, so I often sought solace and comfort in special places near where I grew up. I developed deep and powerful connections with certain places as a child and teenager that strongly informed my sense of personal identity as an adult. 

Despite having varied photographic interests, I strive to make images that hint at a narrative that explores the influence that people and places have on each other.

Thanks for visiting my small space on the internet. I hope you enjoy and connect with what you see here.

-Michael Richardson