The Canadian Rockies

Craig Richards is the right man to speak eloquently to you about the mountains. It is with the zeal of an unrequited lover that Craig roams the trails and ridges of the Rockies like a nineteenth century adventurer, the large format camera on his back making him conscious of every step he takes. You would have to be crazy to do what he does, or be in love.These images will be you closer to the mountains, their wonder, their imposing power and strength, their serenity and their charm. There is narrative to enjoy here about one man's solitary mountain travels and a fascinating dialogue with the land if you wish to listen in. But through his photographs Craig does a great deal more than just take us on a mountain tour.He has a human story to tell. For one, he speaks of commitment. Ironically, in this case it is a commitment to a photographic process that has been made antiquated by modern instant photographic technology. But this makes his finely crafted silver-based photographs all the more precious. Craig is speaking , too, of an interaction with the land rather than a running up against it; of taking but not destroying, and a giving back. And perhaps most important, he raises the critical issue of sense of place in our lives. Here on the eve of the next century, continually distracted by the speed and commercial motivations of our urban culture, perpetually disoriented by a mass global economy, we need to be reminded of the arresting beauty of nature and our elemental connection to an undeveloped world.