Richard Petronio

Born in the shadows of the Brooklyn Bridge, I grew up outside of New York City as a proud descendant of Italian heritage. As a child growing up on Long Island, I displayed the behavior consistent with my age. Prior to my tenth birthday I was convinced that someday I would be seen hanging on to a bright red fire truck racing to save someone from a burning inferno or become one of those men dressed in blue who wore badges on their chest.

My teen years found me attracted to the arts, mostly the theater, and within that framework I found that I had many skills on the technical side, which I performed exceptionally well. I studied technical theater for a while in college but I eventually settled in on the study of psychology and how individuals interacted with their environment. This course of study led to a successful career as an international consulting psychologist for over 35 years.

It was during my teen years that I was introduced to the art of photography by my father who was a gifted artist, landscape photographer and architect. With my small Kodak camera in hand I ventured out to make pictures of the world. And I have done this for more than 50 years.

I earned my PhD in Psychology from The University of Michigan, M.A. in Psychology from The New School for Social Research and B.A. in history from American University. My formal training in photography includes coursework from The University of Michigan, Columbia College of Chicago, Santa Fe College of Art and Design, and Santa Fe Photographic Workshops. I also studied with Norman Mauskopf of Santa Fe, New Mexico in documentary photography.

My photography has earned recognition from numerous international juried competitions and exhibited in venues associated with the award. The most notable of these competitions include: the Annual Black and White Spider Awards, Le Prix de la Photographie de Paris, Best Photography Awards, Dodho Magazine, the International Color Awards. IPA International Photo Awards, TIFA Tokyo International Foto Award, and MIFA Moscow International Foto Awards, My photography has been displayed at the Foto Nostrum Mediterranean House of Photography (Barcelona) and PhotoPlace Gallery (Middlebury, Vermont)

I have published two books of my photography – "Water Lilies of the Dance: The many faces of La Danse du Ventre" (a documentary work of the Mosaic Dance Company of Santa Fe, New Mexico) and "Beginnings: Whispers of Love" (a work of my poetry on romance accompanied by my photography).

My goal in making pictures is simple: to tell a story that evokes a moment of emotion or reflection within those that interact with my photography.