Terry Richardson's Diary 2011

Richardson was born in New York City, the son of Bob Richardson, a fashion photographer who struggled with schizophrenia and drug abuse. Richardson was raised in Hollywood, a neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, where he attended Hollywood High School; and Ojai, California, where he attended Nordhoff High School. He was shy as a teenager and at some times deemed "completely lacking in social skills". He played bass guitar in the punk rock band The Invisible Government for 5 years. Richardson began photography when the band broke up and his mother introduced him to Tony Kent, a photographer who hired him as an assistant.

Richardson's photographs often contain graphic sexual subject matter. Richardson has shot advertisements for fashion designers and editorial photographs.
His alleged attitude towards models has been criticised by Danish model and filmmaker Rie Rasmussen and others, who have accused Richardson of exploiting and sexually abusing the models he photographs. But model and actress Noot Seear has defended him, pointing out that he does not pressure those he works with into doing anything they are uncomfortable with, while designer Marc Jacobs, although admitting problems within the industry, has said that as a person Richardson is "not ill-spirited."