Mark Richards

Joined the Navy at 17, I figured Ho Chi Minh was safer than my Step Mother. I was in Photo Intelligence. I did two tours of duty off Vietnam, the second one involved evacuations, Cambodia and Vietnam (1975) I left the service in 1976 to attend college.

I graduated in 1982 with a BA degree.

In 1983 the song of Asia blew in my ear once more. I was led to Burma first, coved a war there, survived barely. Then worked with Catholic Relief Services to document all their refugee camps.Got a tip, went to Afghanistan covered the war there, on foot and horseback. Went 500 miles tracking down one of the leaders of the Mujahedin, Ahmad Shah Massoud, in his fight against the USSR . Published in Time magazine.

Returned to America broke and without money.

Got a job at a newspaper got married, got kids. Moved to freelancing with national magazines, moved to San Francisco, then moved to Marin county. Did stories on the streets with gangs around the world fishing tuna, and in the poverty of Haiti. Took up trail running.

Saw the world of silicon valley change through the 80’s the 90’s the DotCom era.

Did a book on the fleeting beauty of the beginnings of the computer age, CORE MEMORY.

It is a photographic art book.

Divorced, retired, got older, disease followed.

Got a rare form of cancer, got a rare surgeon, got radiation.

Still ran trails

Documented my own treatment, published in the New York Times.

Currently working on Graphic Novel .

His work has been chosen 14 times to appear in the Communication Arts Photography Annual. He lives in San Rafael, California, and is proud to be a geek.