Born and raised in New Hampshire, Will Richard has spent much of his life in the forests, mountains, and waters of northern New England and Canada.  As a professional geographer and registered Maine guide, he brings his photography to the landscape of this region.  Largely through macrophotography, that is, minding the details of nature –  within the tradition of Buddhist influenced “Miksang” photography –  he strives for  “clear seeing”, to awaken and synchronize the mind and eye to the moment. 

Details of nature, which receive special attention in his work, include lichen and mushrooms; water in motion and as droplets, mist, and ice; webs; reflections and shadows; trees, bark, and leaves and needles; wild flowers and sections thereof; tidal zones and its flora; abstract rock forms; and still grasses and moving grasses.

His message is: We need to slow down and become more aware of our natural surroundings.  Society today values speed and efficiency, and primarily identifies us as “consumers.”  Through his life’s work, he stresses that we are more than simply economic beings; rather, we too are complex creations of  nature.  Thus, we need to pause, linger, appreciate, and reflect upon that multidimensional natural world of which we are a part.  Speed is not the path to wisdom.

The photographic techniques Will uses include multiple exposure, sandwiching, bracketing, fill-flash, selective imaging, selective focusing, macro photography, and aerial photography. He uses 35 mm, medium format, and panoramic cameras.

The photographic techniques Will uses include multiple exposure, sandwiching, bracketing, fill-flash, selective imaging, selective focusing, macro photography, and aerial photography. He uses 35 mm, medium format, and panoramic cameras.

His work geographically features Maine , the International Appalachian Trail in Maine and Atlantic Canada, the Smithsonian's Gateways Project on the Lower North Shore of the Gulf of St . Lawrence, the Canadian Inuit Territory of Nunavut, and Western Greenland.