Working as 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 and Sharon Lockhart. His resume includes nearly all modern camera formats, from 16mm to HD to 35mm anamorphic.

Ascending through the ranks as an assistant cameraman in the early 1990's, Rutkowski worked as a focus puller for notable cinematographers including Edward 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.

Since then, Rutkowski has consistently photographed compelling narrative work. Most recently he completed the pilot and first season of Lights Out, a new one-hour drama for the FX Network. Starring Holt McCallany, Stacy Keach, Pablo Schreiber and Catherine McCormack, this series premiered in 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. This film will be released in the fall of 2011 by Tribeca Film.

Working early on with small digital video 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.

Second-unit DP credits include the latest Roman Polanski film The Ghost Writer, Wes Craven's My Soul to Take, Darren Aronofsky's Requiem for a Dream, The Number 23  directed by Joel Schumacher, Harmony Korine's Julien Donkey Boy and recently additional photography for Iron Man 2 and Limitless.  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.