Richardson met Director Benh Zeitlin in Prague in 2004 and subsequently collaborated on the short film Glory at Sea in 2008. During pre-production on Beasts of the Southern Wild, Richardson shot a test reel which convinced the financiers to approve him as Cinematographer for the film.
Richardson is a Director of photography. Two of his films, Beasts of the Southern Wild and Happy Christmas, have premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. Beasts of the Southern Wild was also nominated for four Academy Awards at the 85th Academy Awards, including a nomination for Best Picture. His short film Seed won Best Animated Short at the 2010 Slamdance Film Festival.
Beasts of the Southern Wild debuted at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival where Richardson won the Excellence in Cinematography Award. For his work on the film he also won the Independent Spirit Award for Best Cinematography, and was nominated for multiple awards including a Camerimage award and a Satellite Award.
