Nikon Learn & Explore

Cory Richards

Headshot of Cory Richards, Nikon Ambassador

An explorer and visual storyteller, Cory Richards was named National Geographic Adventurer of the Year in 2012.

From a high school drop-out at 14 to summiting Mount Everest without oxygen, his life has followed an irregular arc. His camera has taken him from the controlled and complex studio to the wild and remote corners of the world, from the unclimbed peaks of Antarctica and the Himalayas of Nepal to the forgotten war zones of Angola, Uganda, and Pakistan, all in an attempt to capture not only the soul of exploration but also the paradoxes and surprising similarities inherent in our human family.

Richards is a passionate climber as well as social documentarian and has carved a niche as one of the world's leading photographers, pursuing the genres from adventure, to geo-political and social impact, to portraiture.

His images have appeared in National Geographic magazine, Outside Magazine, and The New York Times. His film work has won awards at nearly every major adventure film festival, including the grand prize at the Banff Mountain Film Festival.

As a social influencer, his social platforms have garnered billions of impressions world-wide. In August 2017, an abridged biography of his life story was published as the cover story in Outside Magazine.

Nikon Ambassador Cory Richards photo of an older person's hands with beads wrapped around the hands in a position of prayer

© Cory Richards