In one of his interviews, Richard spoke that people often feel nervous about taking pictures of unknown individuals. Portraiture, particularly street portraiture, can be more complex than typically acknowledged. The photographer personally finds the genre appealing as it allows him to observe and study people, using the camera as an extension of his gaze.
When asked what the photographer looks for in other people's portraiture, Richard answered - authenticity, engagement and sensuality. "I think a sense of presence, where you feel like the subject is not only looking at the photographer but looking at you. Some sort of deep looking—a presence rather than self-consciousness. Sometimes it’s about the quality of light, or mood. If a portrait has a narrative, I’m usually drawn to it. I don’t necessarily mind if something is staged, but when things start to feel too artificial, I think it’s a crutch," the artist shared in one of his interviews.
Richard Renaldi was born in 1968 in Chicago and graduated with a photography degree from New York University in 1990. He has had his photographs displayed in various galleries worldwide, including the Third Floor Gallery in Cardiff, Wales in 2012, Aperture Gallery in New York in 2014, and the Loyola University Museum of Art in Chicago in 2015 among others.
