Winter, Lodgepole Pine, Banff National Park

This photograph is printed using a black and white process in which the negative is laid over the gel emulsion of silver nitrate which reacts to UV light and produces an image. The picture is of the snow covered forest in Alberta. It belongs to the genre of nature photography that has its roots in the Victorian era fine art photography meant to capture the artist’s personal impression. 

In Richards’ own words:

“I love the violence of storms as well as the delicacy and the calm. All of this is prevalent in my photographs as well as my excitement, my awe, and my interpretation. I’m not trying to document where I have been but show what I feel about this landscape. This dramatic and textural mountain-scape is not just a mass of inanimate objects, it is alive, with personalities that change continuously with each minute, hour, day and season.”

Nature photography often becomes important in raising awareness of environmental causes. ​“The mountains pose a universal paradox, an ever-present reminder of nature’s power and its fragility,” says Richards. Photographs can be used to help grow political support for areas that need protection such as the Canadian National Parks.