[1] He received a BA in English from Northeastern University then studied photography at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, supervised by Minor White.

[1] His first book was Few Comforts or Surprises (1973), a depiction of rural poverty in Arkansas.

[6] Gerry Badger writes that "[Richards's] involvement with the people he is photographing is total, and he is one of the best of photojournalists in getting that across, often helped by his own prose".

[6] Richards founded Many Voices Press to publish his books, beginning with Dorchester Days.

[5] He was invited to join Magnum Photos in 1978, where he remained until 1995, then rejoined in 2002 for three more years.