Photograph by Jim Richardson
Inspiring people to care about the planet since 1888
Photograph by Jim Richardson
Richardson followed his passion early on, abandoning his psychology major at Kansas State University to take on a photographic internship at the Topeka Capital-Journal. It proved to be a wise choice—for the next 15 years he traveled the world publishing stories for all of the major publications including Life, Time, Sports Illustrated, and The New York Times. He published his first story for National Geographic in 1984, and shortly thereafter launched his freelance career. He has since published multiple books and shot over 40 stories for National Geographic, several of which caught the eye of the networks, including ABC, who sent Nightline along with Richardson for a behind-the-scenes documentary called Yellow Journalism: The Making of a National Geographic Story, providing a rare glimpse inside the intricate story development process at the magazine celebrated for bringing the world home.
Through the years Richardson has emerged as one of the top social documentarians in his field. He has become an expert in numerous topics, including agriculture, rivers and aquifers, and volcanoes but his most resonant voice stems from his keen eye on the human experience. Two unique storylines best reveal this gift—his Great Plains retrospective, chronicling 30 years in the life of Cuba, Kansas, including his seminal book High School USA, a three-year examination of the emotional roller coaster ride that is adolescence; and his extensive coverage of the cultures and topography of his family’s native Scotland and the surrounding Celtic realms. Most recently he published National Geographic cover stories “Our Vanishing Night: Light Pollution,” documenting the impact civilization is having on our natural world, and “Our Good Earth: Soil,” exploring the fragile shell upon which 70–80% of our food source depends.
Also a contributing editor to National Geographic Traveler, Richardson lectures worldwide, sharing his award-winning images and the stories behind them.
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Jim Richardson Photography
Popular Presentations
Celtic Heart, Celtic Soul
Like millions of other Americans of Irish and Scottish heritage, Richardson knew he had roots in the British Isles. Based on more than a dozen assignments and years of photography, Celtic Heart, Celtic Soul recounts Richardson’s journeys into the Celtic lands. From Highland Games in Scotland to mountain steam trains in Wales, Richardson will share stories of experiencing sunrise among the standing stones, singing sea shanties in venerable pubs, and tasting raw whisky straight from the cask. “I fell in love with the staggering landscapes, and then with these ancient people and their stories. Finally, I realized that their story was my story—I had found home.”
After a quarter century of traveling the world on amazing assignments for National Geographic, Richardson reveals secrets and tips for creating unforgettable photographs.
Preserving heirloom seeds and breeds is crucial if we are to feed our hungry world.
Scotland’s Hebrides, islands both stern and sublime, have taught centuries of artists, scientists, poets, and travelers to treasure the wild.
The future rests on the soil beneath our feet. Jim Richardson’s photos show soil loss around the world—and what can be done to stop it.
Most city skies have become virtually empty of stars.
In the Flint Hills of Kansas, the nation’s last great expanse of tallgrass prairie anchors a world renewed by fire.
So what if the Celts disappeared as a civilization long ago. The Celts cultural presence continues today.
Mishandling products in the U.S. food supply—among the safest in the world—can make eating downright unhealthy.
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