At a single moment, a photojournalist has the power to convey the depth and emotion of a complex story. Skill, timing, fearlessness, and often, an ability to establish bonds with people who offer exclusive access to a significant occasion come together to capture history, humanity and meaning in one image. Planet New Mexico are photographs from national award-winning photojournalist Richard (Rick) E. Kozak’s long career documenting stories from around the world.
For more than 30 years Kozak covered the United States and the world as a photojournalist. He has photographed politics, sports, national events, wars in Africa, Central America, Afghanistan, and the Iraq War (where he was wounded in 2005 while on Operation Steel Curtain on the Syrian border with the US Marines & Special Forces). He worked for major news outlets such as The Washington Times, Insight Magazine, Army Times, Time Magazine, US News & World Report, Smithsonian Magazine, and Science Magazine.
He became a familiar face in political and national media circles under Presidents Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, William J. Clinton, and George W. Bush. He was honored for his excellence in photojournalism by the White House News Photographers Association with “Pictures of the Year” awards in 1985, 1986, 1987, 1989, and 1990.
“I have been gifted and privileged to witness moments of reality without bias or preconceived thoughts and ideas,” Kozak stated, when reflecting on his photojournalism career. He continues, “To see and experience history unfold as it happens in a truthful manner is the cornerstone of the credibility of the photojournalist.”