These photos were commissioned by choreographer Starrene Foster for her company, Starr Foster Dance (www.starrfosterdance.org). I have photographed her works in both stills and video for over 20 years.
Birds and animals photographed in and around the Forest Hill Park area. Despite being in the middle of the city, there is an amazing variety of wildlife in the neighborhood.
The photograph of the heron in the snow is my personal favorite. It was taken a few months after I suffered a major heart attack. As part of my strengthening regimen, I had set a goal of walking several miles a day with my camera, usually with a massive telephoto lens, and taking photos of birds and other wildlife. On this day, it was snowing quite heavily and I pretty much talked myself into not going out for fear of damaging my camera. I went online and searched for rain/weather covers for cameras and long lenses, promising this would not happen again. It only took a few minutes to see how simply the covers were constructed, so I got out some plastic sheeting, electrical tape and rubber bands and made one.
I bundled up and headed out to the lake at Forest Hill Park to find this heron, patiently stalking fish in the snow. You could say it was a sign to never give up.
Richmond, Virginia is a great place for outdoor activities. Spectacular parks with miles of walking and biking trails, whitewater rapids along the James River and acres of woods filled with an incredible variety of wildlife. These photos show Richmonders enjoying the great outdoors in the middle of a thriving, rapidly growing city.
A sampling of my work from the 80s to the present day. The black and white nudes were shot on 4x5 infrared film using a view camera. This setup is quite cumbersome, requiring a heavy tripod and an assistant to help carry the gear to an isolated area along the James River. It also required a patient and fit model willing to make the hike!
