Through his documentary photography work, Richard Tsong-Taatarii brings attention to the joys and tribulations of Minnesotans as a staff photographer for the Minneapolis Star Tribune and a contributing photographer to Zuma Press. He also enjoys covering communities within our larger society that escape the attention of the mainstream media. His traveling monograph “Lakota Resistance: The Bison, Horse, and the River” is a five-year documentary on the legacy of the Wounded Knee Massacre on the Pine Ridge Reservation and his extensive coverage of the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) protests on the Standing Rock Reservation._x000D_
In 2018, he was also named NPPA Best of Photojournalism large market photographer of the year for his coverage of the Rohingya exodus, end of the Standing Rock protests, and Black Lives Movement. He was also awarded a World Press Photo award in general news for his picture of Philando Castile’s best friend, John Thompson, mourning his lives, by highlighting the long-term impact of the Black Lives movement _x000D_