Eugene Richards, arguably one of the best living documentary photographers, can seem odd the first time you meet him. He is quiet and appears shy, and to his own admission, doesn’t really know how to deal with agencies and photographers at festivals such as Visa pour l’Image.

‘You have to sell your work at these festivals, but I’m uncomfortable doing that,’ he tells BJP. ‘Photographers also do this to me. They show me their work, ask me for my opinion and advice, but I can’t. If I could, I would, but no one believes me when I say that.’

The photographer, who left Magnum Photos twice and VII Photo before signing with Getty Images, was in Perpignan this year presenting a very intimate project. War is Personal is a series of 15 photographic essays in which Richards introduces us to Americans whose lives have been deeply and irrevocably impacted by the ongoing war in Iraq - a former combat medic who struggled with addiction upon returning home, a father who has just learned that his son was killed in action, a mother who spends every waking hour caring for her grievously brain-injured son, a young soldier who refused redeployment and fled to Canada, a young paraplegic shot in the spine four days after arriving in-country.

The idea behind War is Personal came after much deliberations, says Richards. ‘I was critical of the war, and I wanted to do something about it. I thought of going to Iraq, but I didn't want to be embedded, to follow the army. I wanted to be free to choose what to cover and where to go.’

‘War is very personal,’ he adds. ‘My son asked me what would he do if he were drafted. It's a family decision. It can cause a huge clash in a family like it did with mine. My own father told me I would go to Vietnam if I were drafted. I wouldn’t have had a choice.’

Richards’ project began four years ago. He started researching and looking online for families that had been disrupted by the war in Iraq. ‘I didn't want to have to choose who to follow,’ he says. ‘I didn't want to know more about them. I didn't want to make a determination of where they were, what idea of the war they had. Tomas was the first. I called him up, and he accepted to receive me.’

Richards spent a few days with the former soldier at his home in Kansas City. Tomas needs two hours every morning to get out of bed and get ready. When Richards saw the photos, he was reticent to use them. Calling Tomas, he said: ‘You know how bad you look? He just said: “so?” It happens, it's true.’

‘For most photographers, access, getting invited in is fundamental,’ says Richards. ‘It's very delicate, especially with a family in grief. With every story you're dealing with there is a line. And you can't cross it. They tell you a story, and you have to let them do it.’

Richards is still working on War is Personal. He has received a $20,000 Getty Grant for Editorial Photography this year, which will go to complete the work. The hope is that, once the book is released, it will bring more attention to the masses of injured soldiers coming back from the war.

‘The biggest problem is indifference,’ says Richards. And with the war in Afghanistan picking up steam, ‘thousands of people are going to come back injured. Now, we can keep alive a lot of people that would have died in other wars.’

Sometimes, indifference can take another form. Every once in a while, he will be asked if by taking a critical look at the consequences of war, he is not promoting an anti-American view. ‘America is where I want to live. Am I against the government? Yes. I’ve seen some people heckle grieving families saying that they shouldn’t protest the war because their sons volunteered and knew the risks. Why would you say that to someone?’

Indifference also comes from the magazines. ‘I can't sell this [story],’ he tells BJP. ‘I tried but only The Nation magazine ran it, as a very small one-page story. Magazines feel there is nothing new there. They're looking for what's redemptive in this story.’

However, the response from the public has been amazing, he adds. ‘We need to get the material out, and get the dialogue going. More sacrifice need to be made on the part of the media. But, you have to understand them, why would they print this when they can get bigger sales from celebrities’ images.’

What about publishing it online? ‘You have to be willing to give it away,’ he says. ‘The only danger I see is the fact that some people could use it to transmit their own political views. You have to find a way to get it out in its virgin form.’

For more on Richards’ work, visit www.eugenerichards.com.