![\"Kayla](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/de8ec565f1137a2370c982be0a7017d83333dfd4.png\")
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January 21, 2026 \u2014 5:00am<\/p>\n
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Remove items from your saved list<\/a> to add more.<\/p>\n Save this article for later<\/p>\n Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime.<\/p>\n Got it<\/p>\n AAA<\/p>\n Audrey Richardson is neither a police officer, a lifeguard nor a paramedic. The 23-year-old photographer can\u2019t pinpoint what drives her towards dangerous situations such as immigration rallies in the US \u2013 where she was peppered by rubber bullets and sprayed with tear gas \u2013 other than that first responder urge to help.<\/p>\n \u201cMy whole life, I\u2019ve only wanted to help people,\u201d The Sydney Morning Herald\u2019s new trainee photographer, who starts in January, said. \u201cThe only way I know how to help is by documenting what\u2019s happening and by telling powerful stories.<\/p>\n \u201cIf the history of the people in the community and connections, love and sadness isn\u2019t documented, I think you can\u2019t know which side of history you\u2019re on.\u201d<\/p>\n Richardson, from Brisbane, moved when she was seven to Chicago, where she began her career in photography. As an intern for the Detroit Free Press, Chicago Tribune and The Seattle Times, Richardson covered national events from the 2024 US election and immigration protests to Michigan Lake freezing over \u2013 as well as capturing celebrities such as Chance the Rapper and Chappell Roan.<\/p>\n Richardson attended Michigan State University as a swimmer. When her program was cut, she joined the student paper, becoming the managing editor after covering a campus shooting.<\/p>\n \u201cI didn\u2019t know what journalism looked like, or what it was. I didn\u2019t really know storytelling and the importance of news in general until I joined that paper,\u201d she said. \u201cIn my third year at school, there was a shooting on campus while I was on campus. Obviously, the student newspaper has to cover it.<\/p>\n \u201cThat experience was super-profound for me, and really solidified that this is the type of work that I want to do for the rest of my life \u2026 because I saw how the community at Michigan State rely on the student newspaper.\u201d<\/p>\n Richardson said this work was so meaningful that when she heard of the attack at Bondi Beach, she had to help in any way she could.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s also why I thought it was super-important for me to go to Sydney during the shooting,\u201d she said. \u201cNot just because gun violence is obviously something that I care deeply about, but because of the way that my [university] community was affected \u2013 you\u2019re changed forever.\u201d<\/p>\n Richardson will be mentored by senior photographers during her year-long traineeship, in partnership with Canon Australia. Ruby Alexander is the trainee at The Age. <\/p>\n Executive editor Luke McIlveen said both mastheads had a rich history of documenting history through images.<\/p>\n \u201cWorking alongside our award-winning journalists, our trainees will not only develop their skills but our newsrooms will benefit from the real-world experience they bring,\u201d he said. \u201cWe can\u2019t wait to see how Audrey and Ruby contribute to the country\u2019s two most-read mastheads.\u201d<\/p>\n The Examine newsletter explains and analyses science with a rigorous focus on the evidence. Sign up to get it each week<\/a>.<\/p>\n Save<\/p>\n You have reached your maximum number of saved items.<\/p>\n![\"Audrey](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/711ffe6153b3a1fb4e5a62b828e1097236918fbd.jpeg\")
Audrey Richardson shooting a NASCAR race in Chicago in 2025.<\/p>\n![\"Richardson](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/623f0d37d2fce60d6f94aca4bb066a184c825bcb.jpeg\")
Richardson photographing Chance the Rapper at Lollapalooza music festival in Chicago in 2025.<\/p>\n![\"Tear](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/bda9a7325ec200888e9d0a5ca20a3c56106a1ddb.jpeg\")
Tear gas is deployed as dozens of protesters gather at the entrance of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Chicago.Audrey Richardson\/Block Club Chicago![\"Perezia](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/f79595d221cc57b5ed7303d938cc81e347f1c192.jpeg\")
Perezia Solomon, Ariel Brown and Bri Wilson embrace as dozens gather for a balloon release in North Lawndale in honor of Zahrie Walls, who tragically died in Lake Michigan.Audrey Richardson\/Chicago Tribune![\"India](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/57fc9d2c19ed1d593d354cef27cfec33b0dd991b.jpeg\")
India Wade, a senior at Northwestern, rests in between headliners during an end of the school year festival.Audrey Richardson\/Chicago Tribune<\/p>\n![\"Rabbi](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/40990248388cabc59bc8f5850da95598f8475d39.jpeg\")
Rabbi Yacov Harkham and his son, Ariel, embrace among thousands during a candlelight vigil at Bondi Beach on December 21.Audrey Richardson\/Getty Images<\/p>\n