ABOUT RICHARD DOHERTY PHOTOGRAPHS

I've been making photographs since the late 1950's when my father taught me SLR camera operation and basic darkroom skills. He was a cardiologist and professor of medicine at the University of Arkansas and had a darkroom built into our house in Little Rock. He joyfully shared his passion for the photography with me. It wasn't until college that I realized I wanted to pursue the medium as a career.

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I studied psychology and studio art (there was no photography program) at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville from 1970-1976. After graduating, I met Chicagoan Mike Peven who had moved to Fayetteville to start the photo program in the art department. We became friends and he introduced me to the School of the Art Institute of Chicago where I matriculated in 1978 and received my MFA in 1980. While there I studied with Ken Josephson and Joyce Neimanas who helped me clarify my vision. 

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Since all my heroes and mentors had studied and practiced personal photography and taught college to make a living, I set my sights on that path. I have never been interested in commercial work and never pursued it. Luckily I landed a professorship at LSU in Baton Rouge where I met and became friends with Michael Book and AJ Meek who were teaching photo in the art department. After a year I got an offer at Tarrant County College in Fort Worth Texas in 1982. It was a fortuitous move since my wife Jan was from Dallas and my sister lived there. I retired after 34 years as Emeritus Professor in 2016.

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My subject matter has always revolved around family, friends and community and is a reflections of my life experience. Each section in this web site is introduced with the context of the work.

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