The young man who discovered photography in Viet Nam soon returned home to become the architect who won the Atlanta Press Photographer Association competition in 1972. His career in architecture flourished, but other business opportunities and his total immersion in aerobic sports led him away from photography for a short time. Midlife, he discovered inspiration for photography through taking his daughter to dance classes. Richard soon found himself watching classes, rehearsals, and performances with his architect's eye and his artist's appreciation for form and beauty. His athlete's respect for the extreme athleticism of dance pushed him further into a desire to record dancers in all aspects of their lives.

He immediately received attention for his dance photography as it found its way into print and in a first gallery showing at Carisma Gallery in Atlanta in 2006. Collectors began wanting his dancers to grace the walls of homes and offices, and numerous newspapers and periodicals featured his work. The Southeastern Regional Ballet Association invited him to be their Official Photographer in 2006 leading to an invitation to be the official photographer for the Regional Dance America Convention in 2007, where he photographed 81 companies, and thousands of dancers for seven days.

In 2007 he journeyed to California where he spent a week photographing a wide variety of professional dancers. His work has been published in national dance magazines such as "Pointe" and has graced the covers of "dp Magazine" and "pbase Magazine."

Richard focuses his camera on four areas of the life of a dancer: Class and Rehearsal, Performances, Studio Portraits, and "Out There."