Celebrated for his work in sports and schools, Adam Richins has been a household name in the professional photography industry; this March, Belmont Hill students had the opportunity to meet the person behind the pixels. In MacPherson, Richins shared his story and provided insight and advice for the Belmont Hill students, remarking on his capturing the Patriots throughout the season and numerous other college and high school sports teams in the area.
Richins was born in Boston, but then moved to New Jersey, going to college in New York City. He came back to Boston in 2011 and first shot for Dana Hall. He now has his own company with 15 photographers and crew in addition to shooting for the Boston Sports Journal. Each high school game he shoots, Richins takes roughly 3,000 photos. After the game, he uploads the photos to his computer before leaving the parking lot. Out of the 3,000 photos he takes each game, only around 200-300 are truly edited and exported, and he does all the editing himself.
In the Super Bowl alone, he took 8,000 photos of the Patriots. He is able to take this many photos due to 100 terabytes of external storage in his basement. When he first started with the Boston Sports Journal, he shot whatever sports he could, though he liked football most, and eventually gained connections with the Patriots, Celtics, and Bruins.
His work requires a lot of money, and his gear costs $150,000 overall. He spends this much on his equipment to be the best he can, using four different cameras and various lenses depending on the situation. He tries to be unique when taking photos, finding new spots on the field, and making the best photos he can.
In addition to sports, he has shot at hospitals, conferences, parties, and many other events. Photography is his passion, and he loves taking pictures everywhere, not just professionally. His talk at Belmont Hill inspired students, offering a behind-the-scenes look at the creativity and dedication required to succeed in professional photography: “Even though I shoot mostly film, hearing from Adam Richins process in professional sports photography sort of opened my eyes to what’s possible in terms of diligence and constantly trying to improve,” (Matthew Williams ‘28). And so, Adam Richins’ visit to Belmont Hill was a very inspiring experience for the community, and encouraged students to pursue artistic opportunities.