Paul Runyon studied photography at The University of New Mexico, where he earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. He then moved to New York City, where he worked as assistant director of the Light Gallery.
Runyon’s photographs are held in collections in the National Portrait Gallery in Washington DC, Philadelphia Museum of Art, The United States Information Agency in Washington DC, and The Mellon Bank Corporate Collection. His work was recently included in Streets of Philadelphia: Photography 1970-1985, the first overview of street photography made in Philadelphia during the 70s and 80s. His most recent work centers on how the masses interface with the contemporary Western American landscape and its accompanying complexities, contradictions, and ambiguities.
In addition to his fine art career, numerous Fortune 500 companies, including AT&T, Arm & Hammer, Citicorp Bank, IBM, and Nissan, have commissioned Runyon’s photography. He divides his time between Philadelphia; Tucson, Arizona; and Las Vegas, Nevada
Runyon has been a Professor of Photography at Philadelphia’s Drexel University since 1993 and has chaired the university’s Photography Program for the past 14 years. He currently teaches a wide range of both applied and fine art coursework including Freshman University Seminar, Photography and Business, Studio Photography, Large Format Photography, The Zone System, Advanced Studio and Senior Thesis. In addition, he travels with six students each year to photograph in the canyons of Southeast Utah and has been nominated for the Lindback teaching award.