Two centuries of timber cutting and agricultural use have reduced the old-growth longleaf pine wilderness in the Moody Forest Natural Area in Georgia, USA, to a fraction of its original range.
Longleaf pine forests are home to many threatened species, most of which have adapted to forest fires caused by lightning. The pine itself is not only fire-resistant, but its seeds need fire to germinate. Today, fires are started deliberately to achieve this. Rich designed a tree-mounted housing that would withstand the fire to capture his series of shots. Firefighters helped him by organising the burn around his three cameras so he could safely change the sequence intervals before, during and after. The cameras survived, though their hoods melted.
USA
A photographer, film-maker and instructor specialising in environmental and adventure photography, Rich began his career almost 30 years ago as a picture editor, while studying business economics. He creates multimedia projects using time-lapse photography, to benefit the natural environment, and shares his passion as a teacher, photography tour leader and global expedition guide.
Help us harness the power of photography to advance scientific knowledge, spread awareness of important issues and nurture a global love for nature.