A cinematographer since the late 1990's, Richard Rutkowski has shot a broad range of projects, working for directors as renowned and varied as Neil Burger, Darren Aronofsky, Adrian Lyne, Joel Schumacher, Wes Craven, and Roman Polanski. In addition to feature films, Richard shoots commercials, series television and gallery installation pieces for artists including Robert Wilson, Dan Colen and Sharon Lockhart. His resume includes nearly all modern camera formats, from 16mm to HD to 35mm anamorphic.

Working over a three-year period with theater director and artist Robert Wilson, Rutkowski recently produced and directed a feature documentary, The Space in Back of You, which relates the influence of Japanese dancer Suzushi Hanayagi on Wilson and a circle of avant-garde collaborators. Telling the story of her powerful and radical dance creations as she herself develops Alzheimer's, this moving and visually intense work has been screened at Lincoln Center, the ZKM Museum Karlsruhe, and The Arts Arena in Paris, with future screenings planned for San Francisco, Tokyo, and Thessaloniki Greece.

Beginning as an assistant cameraman in the early 1990's, Rutkowski worked as a focus puller for notable cinematographers including Ed Lachman, Eric Edwards, Lisa Rinzler and David Stockton. His work contributed to the visuals of major films such as Kids, Flirting With Disaster, Copland, Buena Vista Social Club and Tony Bui's Three Seasons, winner of both the Best Cinematography and the Grand Jury Prize at 1999's Sundance Film Festival.

Early in his career, outfitted with mini DV cameras and a minimum of crew, Richard's efforts on the indie feature Homework received positive attention, helping the film earn the Grand Jury Prize at the 2004 Slamdance Film Festival. At that year's Sundance Festival, Rutkowski's work was represented by Alison Maclean's documentary, Persons of Interest, which chronicled the struggles of men held by the US government without charges after 9/11. In 2003, Richard received a Best Cinematography Nomination at the Independent Spirit Awards for Neil Burger's Interview with the Assassin, which was also nominated as Best First Feature that year and released by Magnolia Pictures.

Since then, Rutkowski has consistently photographed compelling narrative work. In 2010 he completed the pilot and first season of Lights Out, a one-hour drama for the FX Network. Starring Holt McCallany, Stacy Keach, Pablo Schreiber and Catherine McCormack, this series premiered the following January to critical acclaim. In 2009 Richard shot Beware the Gonzo, a feature directed by Brian Goluboff and starring Zoe Kravitz, Ezra Miller, Campbell Scott and Amy Sedaris, which was released in the fall of 2011by Tribeca Films.

Second-unit DP credits include Roman Polanski's The Ghost Writer, Wes Craven's My Soul to Take, Darren Aronofsky's Requiem for a Dream, The Number 23  directed by Joel Schumacher, and Harmony Korine's Julien Donkey Boy. More recently Richard contributed additional photography for Iron Man 2,  Limitless, and Cobu 3D.  In 2001, Rutkowski teamed with director Adrian Lyne and cinematographer Peter Biziou on Unfaithful, serving as second-unit DP and camera operator.

Born in Oklahoma, Richard grew up on eastern Long Island, the son of landscape painter Casimir Rutkowski. He began making short films while a student at Harvard College, studying with documentary filmmakers Ross McElwee, Robb Moss and Robert Gardner. Richard is also an avid still photographer, whose work has been exhibited in New York and Los Angeles and seen in publication internationally.  He lives in Los Angeles and New York City with his wife Betsy and daughter Daisy.