The Gallery G

At one wedding he was commissioned to photograph, Rick encountered an album-destroying problem: the groom and groomsmen were all in the US Secret Service and insisted on not having their pictures taken. Not wanting to sacrifice the party's memories, Rick calmly assured them no one would ever discover their real identities, adjusted his camera's focus, and gathered the men into the frame. Later, as he developed the film, Rick kept his promise and retouched every photo in which the men appeared—by drawing a black censor bar over each of their eyes in permanent marker. Whether shooting weddings or private portraits, Rick continues to apply that same level of consideration as he documents the personalities of local families and high-school seniors, just as he's done for the past 25 years

Though trained in lighting and composition as a traditional portrait photographer, Rick prefers to take a candid approach that lets his clients have fun with their sessions and be themselves. He snaps both black and white and vibrant color images, which can be retouched—another passion of his—by seamlessly integrating special effects, enhancing color and contrast, or replacing each subject's face with Benjamin Franklin's. Rick performs on-location sessions exclusively, finding life in backdrops as disparate as the middle of Congress Avenue and docks by the downtown lake, either of which he manipulates within the shutter to properly complement his subjects.