About Me

Ric Francis began his career with The Bergen Record in Hackensack, N.J., where he was runner up for the 1994 New Jersey Photographer of the Year. That year his portfolio won an Award of Excellence from the Society of Newspaper Design. In 1995 Francis joined the staff of The Times-Picayune in New Orleans, La. In his six years in New Orleans he worked on many projects documenting the life of the city, e.g., Mardi Gras Indian culture, neighborhoods terrorized by drug dealers, school closings, historic streets, drug addiction, homelessness, demolition of public housing and children who had lost their fathers to violence. The newspaper submitted two of his projects for Pulitizer Prizes in feature photography in 1999 and 2001. As a staffer with The Associated Press in Los Angeles (Sept. 2001 - Jan. 2009) Francis covered a wide range of subjects. He has worked on assignments in Italy, Vietnam, South Africa, Mexico, Guatemala , Peru, Ecuador and Bolivia.