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Most of my photographs are made with large format (4x5) black and white film, which is scanned and printed digitally. My main subject is the natural and built environment of southern Louisiana. This unique part of the United States, with its diverse cultural heritage, is vanishing. Geological subduction is causing the Gulf Coast between Houston and Florida to sink. Since much of Southern Louisiana is at or only a few feet above sea level, it is disappearing at a rapid rate. This erosion is punctuated by massive hurricanes which do decades of damage in a few days or hours. The most recent were Katrina and Rita, but there is a long history of devastating hurricanes every 20 to 30 years. My work documents the natural and man-made landscape and its destruction through time. As I photographed the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, I realized that all of Southern Louisiana is vulnerable to overnight destruction. Some areas, such as the community of Holly Beach, which was destroyed by Hurricane Rita, are already gone forever. I document the location of each photograph with GPS data so that the location can be identified if the area is later destroyed. I am a professor at the Louisiana State University Law Center, and my legal work includes disaster management. My southern Louisiana photography enriches my understanding of the risks this region faces. I hope it will help others understand both the beauty of southern Louisiana and why this region is uniquely endangered. Contact: richards@law.lsu.edu Shows and Awards New Orleans Jazz Festival, Spring 2007 - Group Show Images of Katrina, Cites des Arts in Lafayette, Fall 2006 - Group Show Honorable Mention, Second Annual West Publishing/A.B.A. Art Contest Third Place, First Annual West Publishing/A.B.A. Art Contest
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