Born in Los Angeles, Richard is recognized internationally as one of the world's premier Tattoo photographers. He was first introduced to the world of tattoo by the late Arnold Ruben in 1987 at the National Tattoo Associations Convention while working on a book for the Museum of Cultural History entitled The Marks of Civilization. At the convention Richard was invited by the board of the National Tattoo Association to be their photographer and currently continues to hold that volunteer position.

In the early 90s he was the main photographer at International Tattoo Art Magazine. His images of people wearing magnificent art by some of the best tattoo artists from around the globe have also appeared in other magazines such as Skin and Ink and Tattoo and Tattoo Life magazine. His photographs continue to appear in many publications worldwide, and can be found in many museum collections in America, Europe and Asia. He continues to be a major contributing photographer within the Tattoo industry today.