Preamble
Flying BOAC to Africa, as a ten year-old unaccompanied minor, first lit Richard Baker's fuse for wanderlust and photography.

Only after school in Brussels and an airport job in Southend did he truly commit himself to photography, studying Documentary Photography at Newport College of Art in the mid-eighties. There, he discovered the alluring words colour and reportage. Recruited by the newborn Katz Pictures in 1988, as well as a spell with The Observer newspaper, he contributed to the mushrooming Katz agency and then the notable Independent Photographers Group (IPG) until 2005.

Striding across the divide between wry reportage and landscape, Richard's photography evolved from a traditional 35mm film aesthetic to that of 6x6 and 6x7 formats. By 2006, he was still swinging between technologies, commissioned by some clients to use digital media and others, such as Guardian Weekend and Saturday Telegraph Magazines to record on film. From 2007 he has predominately used DSLRs.

Over the past 20-years his corporate imagery has been presented in high-profile company literature and his photo-essays in the world’s image-led magazines. Of the latter, most prominent long-term bodies of work are the recruiting of British Gurkhas; a picture diary of his daughter's first year and the aftermath of 9/11 in America. Recently, he has come full-circle from the days of working in and out of airliners. Plane Pictures is a largely unpublished celebration of flying culture, 100 years after the Wright Brothers first powered-flight. The book, ‘Red Arrows,’ recounted his year spent photographing and writing about the Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team. In 2007, Richard started editing his archive for Corbis and Alamy and started a blog.

2008 sees the publication of 'UK at Home' that includes his contribution from the Isle of Skye. He will also be seeking commissions while preparing digital files with writer Alain de Botton for a project to be published in early 2009.

Red Arrows, the project
The much-asked 'how did Red Arrows come about?' is best described as a fluke .. (More)

Projects & Assignments
Paintball Games (1985); English Evangelism (1986); Guardian Angels (1988); Channel Tunnel (1989-90); Graffiti Boys (1989); One Germany (1990); Poll Tax (1990); Canary Wharf (1991); Cannes Film Festival (1992); General Election (1992); British Army (1993); Square Mile (1992-93); London's Lost Rivers (1993); English Seasides (1993); English Season (1993); Mazes (1993); Lisbon, City of Culture (1994); Rollercoasters (1994); Gurkhas (1994); Macau (1994); Atlanta, 100th Olympic City (1995); Oxford Street (1995); Côte d'Azur (1996); From Womb to One Candle (1995-6); Year of the Pier (1995-6); Hong Kong Handover (1997); Plane Pictures (1998-2003); These Colors Don't Run - After 9/11 (2001); Roadside Memorials (2000-1); Olympic Greece (2004); Monica Ali's Brick Lane (2005); Stratford 2012 Olympics (2005); Red Arrows (2004-05); Bath Spas (2006); Virgin Space Tourists (2006); Wingwalking (2007); Window-Watching; UK at Home book; Status Quo, for Guardian Weekend (2007); Veterans Aid, for Telegraph Saturday Magazine (2008).

Solo shows
Metro Imaging, Clerkenwell and Chelsea, London: Red Arrows (February and March 2006) and Hong Kong Handover (1997); Calumet, Drummond Street, London NW1, Red Arrows (December to January 2007).

Group shows
2007 M-real Gallerie Art, Finland; 2004/5 National Portrait Gallery, 'Circling The Square'; 2000 Mother Agency 'Places to go. People to see'; 1999 l'Oeuil sur Capitale: 24 hours in the life of Quebec; Fotofestival Naarden, 'World Cup'; 1999 Association of Photographers, 'Pictures of the Year'; 1995 Visa Pour L'Image 'VE Day'; 1986 Ffotogallery 'Members' Show.'

Awards
PoY (1996); World Press (1994); BIPP/Fuji Student Awards (1986); Canon Photographer (1983).

Archive
A selection of Richard's IPG and Katz Pictures archive is available at Corbis, Digital Railroad and Alamy.

Lectures and presentations 2006
The Royal Photographic Society / Towergate Camerasure series:
Saturday 4th March, University College, Falmouth
Saturday 11th March, Flowerfield Arts Centre, Port Stewart, Northern Ireland,
Sunday 19th March, St Martin's University, Lancaster
Sunday 26th March, St Peter's Rooms, Church Street, Nottingham.
Wednesday 12th July, 'Cult Classics', Pleon Communications, London NW1
Saturday 12th August, 'Red Arrows', De La Warr Pavilion, Bexhill-on-Sea
Saturday 16th September (provisional), 'Red Arrows', Ottokars Hastings and Waterstones Eastbourne.

2007
February, Imperial War Museum, SSAFA/Sothebys auction.