Craig Richards

Canmore, Alberta

Silver Gelatin Photographs

Prints are on gelatin silver paper, archivally processed. They are all drymounted and overmatted on 100% acid-free museum board, signed and dated on front in pencil with the photographer's stamp, including title, and date of negative. Date of print is written on the back.

These images can be printed by Craig in 16"x20" or 20"x24" format. Larger (or smaller) sizes may be possible, depending on the particular image.

Please contact the gallery directly for specific requests.

Bow & Lougheed	Bow Falls, Winter	Bow Lake	Cascade Mountain	Chinaman's Peak
Clearing Storm	Cornice	Crowfoot Glacier	Douglas Fir, Fog	Hoodoo Ridge
Winter, Lodgepole Pine	Middle Sister	Valley Fog, Mt. Ishbel	Mt. Rundle, Lenticular	North Buttress, Mt. Rundle

Oesa Trail, Lake O'Hara	Mt. Quadra, Babel Creek	Mt. Rundle	Rundle from Two Jack	Tangle Falls
Three Sisters with Clouds	Through the Trees, Glacier Nat. Park	Tumbling Glacier, Mt. Robson	Mt. Wilson Vertical	Cascade Mountain 3

Biography

In the tradition of black and white photography, Craig Richards has been traversing the Canadian Rockies with his large format (4x5 inch) camera for 16 years, capturing the elusive light that plays upon these monumental forms. His passion for photography and the natural environment has led him to the mountains. Rather than describe, he tries to evoke the drama of nature and to capture the arresting "quiet beauty" of the Canadian Rockies.

The sense of place and the joy of being in this rugged landscape are powerful elements in his photographs. Each photograph is the expression of a solitary man interacting with the landscape unequaled in its power and strength. On a more abstract level, photographically, he is continually excited about the almost impossible challenge of making two-dimensional images of this grand landscape.

Richards has exhibited extensively both nationally and internationally. His work is carried in galleries in Canada and in the United States and is included in many private, public and corporate collections.

From the Rocky Mountain Outlook, October 2004

Richards Wins the Summit of Excellence

Not many photographers have National Geographic in their portfolio - but not many photographers are as dedicated as Craig Richards.

It is his dedication, skill and passion which have earned Richards the 2004 Summit of Excellence Award for this year's Banff Mountain Film Festival. "It is quite an honour," said Richards, head of photography for the Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies.

"This was a complete surprise." "It is very nice to get the recognition that you are actually doing something."

Richards' work has brought him recognition far and wide, and high and low. He has traveled the world photographing 32 of the world's greatest mountain climbers for Voices from the Summit, published in 1999 by National Geographic and Mountain Culture at the Banff Centre, and documenting the highland Mayan people in Central America for an upcoming book. Portraits from Voices from the Summit, including Sir Edmond Hillary and Reinhold Messner, toured throughout Europe and North America.

Richards has also had 27 solo exhibits and has been featured in public and commercial galleries throughout the world.

Photography for Richards is more than making pretty pictures: it is about feelings, interpretations and understanding his subject - landscape or human.

"I lived here for two years before I actually took a photograph that had any meaning to it," he said, adding it took him that long "to understand the landscape and understand what it meant to me and what I wanted to say about it."

The landscape has always been a strong draw for gentle-voiced photographer, and understanding what the landscape is saying is a serious task.

"I don't photograph in clear blue sky days. Chances are that's when I will be in the dark room," said Richards. He mainly works in black and white, as he feels it allows him to capture and interpret something new.

"For me black and white allows the mountains to sing - I feel that colour trivializes the mountains." Born and raised in Edmonton, Richards found his hobby for photography was growing into a passion.

He picked jobs that in one way or another involved photography. He moved to Canmore in 1980 and since 1986 has been the head of photography at the Whyte Museum.

"Photography really is woven into all aspects of my life. My hobby became my work and it is still my hobby."

When Richards first moved to the Valley he attended a Banff Mountain Film Festival and was inspired by what he saw.

"I never envisioned 24 years later I would be involved in some sort of award on the stage."

"It is very special and very humbling at the same time."

While his photographs have captured the awe and wonder of mountainous landscapes and people around the world, his work has also filtered down to encourage younger photographers to look at life differently. The principal driving force behind the annual Through the Lens project with local high school students, he encourages the next generation to interpret the world around them through the camera.

Past recipients of the Summit of Excellence award include Willi Pfisterer (2003), Barry Blanchard (2002), Bob Sandford (2001), Chic Scott (2000), Guy Lacelle (1999), John Martin (1998), Sharon Wood (1997), Tim Auger (1996), Brian Greenwood (1995), Kiwi Gallagher (1994), Roger Vernon (1993), Jon Whyte (1992), Don Forest (1991), Pat Morrow (1990), Hans Gmoser (1989), Jim Davies (1988), and Bruno Engler (1987). The award is dedicated to the memory of Bill March, an internationally respected mountaineer, author, and educator, who was the leader of the first successful Canadian expedition to climb Mount Everest in 1982.