Terry Richardson

by Terry Richardson, Jochen Siemens (Text)

American photographer Terry Richardson has been called the "magazine world's Marquis de Sade." His photographs of friends and models in raucous abandon manage to achieve a delicate balance between the raw, spontaneous, and fun loving, and the poignant and very personal. Richardson began his career in 1990 with a series documenting New York's East Village undergound scene and, since the mid 1990's, has been working predominantly as a fashion photographer. His sizzling images have appeared in the pages of I-D, French Vogue and Harper's Bazaar as well as in campaigns for Gucci, Sisley and Armani Exchange. Books of Richardson's photographs include Too Much (2002), Feared by Men, Desired by Women (2001), Son of Bob (1999) and Hysteric Glamour (1996).

96 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2004

About the author

Richardson has shot campaigns for Marc Jacobs, Aldo, Supreme, Tom Ford, and Yves Saint Laurent among others. He has also done magazine editorials for publications such as Rolling Stone, GQ, Vogue, Vanity Fair, i-D, and Vice.
There are several repeating themes in Richardson's work, notably that of putting high-profile celebrities in mundane situations and photographing them using traditionally pedestrian methods, such as the use of an instant camera.
His work also explores ideas of sexuality, with many of the pieces featured in his books Kibosh and Terryworld depicting full-frontal nudity and both simulated and unsimulated sexual acts.
Initially, many of Richardson's subjects would be shot before a white background but he eventually expanded to other backdrops. He is also well known for posing with his subjects, often trading his trademark glasses with them so they may "pretend to be him" and vice versa.