Richard Kelley

I am a lifelong photographer driven by light, emotion, and the art of observation. My journey began as a 19-year-old photojournalist covering the Formula 1 circuit in the 1970s and ’80s, capturing iconic drivers and raw human drama on black-and-white Tri-X film. Those historic images—now held in private collections worldwide—sought not spectacle, but soul.

Today, I apply the same instinct for decisive moments to abstract fine art photography. My work reduces the world to its essential shapes, shadows, and emotions—distilling fleeting, intimate impressions into graphic compositions of light, form, and impermanence.

My collections—starting with PALM BLU, HEAT, TRAVELERS, EXPRESSIONS, WHISPERS and my new work, VIBRANCE—explore the natural world through an abstract eye. I use natural light, infrared processing, and subtle color manipulation to transform palm trees, textures, and transient surfaces into painterly, poetic, and often mystical studies.

Each piece is a visual moment that won’t come again—captured just before the light shifts, before the subject changes, or before nature reclaims it. I aim to create work that invites repeated viewing and continuous reinterpretation.

I also make available a curated selection of my vintage...

INDIANA UNIVERSITY:
Bloomington
School of Journalism / Photojournalism Emphasis

HONG KONG :
2013 “Waiting…A Decade of Life in the Grand Prix Pit Lane”
Two-week premier showing of my never-before-seen Formula 1 documentary images