Richard Forster’s photographic experience spans more than 50 years. ‘Bitten by the bug’ as an adolescent of 13 years old, his first camera was a… Bakelite case and his first subjects his classmates at school. At 18 years old, he joined the prestigious Societé Genevoise de Photographie (Geneva Photographic Society) where he remains a member to this day and currently runs the annual course for beginners. Later, he participated in further photography courses and in numerous national and international competitions perfecting his photography skills both inside and outside the darkroom. In 1993 he achieved recognition by the FIAP (Federation for International Photographic Art) and was awarded the title ‘Artiste FIAP’ for his numerous works, the quality of his technique and in acknowledgement for services performed in the name of Photographic Art. He is interested in all categories of photography and in particular Travel and Nude Photography, two domains which he finds especially rewarding due to the quality of exchange and the interaction with different cultures. Equally at ease working in colour and in black and white, Richard prefers working outdoors in natural light, in accordance with Nature’s various idiosyncrasies and most particularly at dawn and dusk when the light is at its most striking. During inclement weather he composes and shoots his images in his Photo-Studio under a battery of artificial lights. Since 2004 he has converted in part to Digital Photography and its technical advances, remaining nonetheless under certain circumstances faithful to monochrome Film Photography and his medium format camera.
At the beginning of the 60s he developed an interest in Feminine Nude Photography, a branch of artistic photography which at that time had a certain taboo attached to it and was a tricky medium to master. This has now become his major passion and he works constantly and tirelessly to discover new locations, to develop innovative lighting and to introduce novel geometric combinations into his work. His approach to Nude Photography is that of an Eternal Tribute to Womanhood and he endeavours to showcase all that is best in her. In his work, Richard considers it imperative to create a relationship of confidence and complicity unique to each model and the first moment of their collaboration together marks a departure into an aesthetic adventure where the camera is the sole witness. The experience is to him more intellectual than erotic: it’s an affair of the imagination. He likes to merely suggest, to open doors of dreams, to create subtle impressions… He aims to create images which are appreciated by both men and women. The particularity of his photography is to seek to seduce, to discover the female body, to render it ever more attractive, without vulgarity. A woman’s body, for Richard, is first and foremost a composition of lines and shapes which he can sculpt using the appropriate surroundings and lighting, according to his whim of the moment. His work represents less of a translation of masculine sentiments towards a woman’s body and more that of an artist’s encounter with a beautiful human form, simply seeking embellishment.