What inspired you to pursue photography as a career?
"I wanted to snowboard the best mountains all over the world, but I wasn't good enough to be become a pro snowboarder. So I united my two passions, photography and snowboarding, and that worked spot-on. It has taken me around the world several times. This sport was also perfect training for everything that followed later, because it is hard to shoot and you have to be very organised."
What is the best lesson you have learnt during your career so far?
"Try to stay focused on one genre to build your career, then you can shoot different genres. Try to understand the needs of your clients – and then deliver something on top of that."
What drives your creative ideas?
"I'm always searching for ideas and inspiration in other fields, and then I bring these ideas back to photography."
How has Canon technology helped you to shoot your projects?
"Whenever a new Canon product is presented, I try to find out what new ways of shooting it creates for me. That is a perfect way to push yourself and your photography. Since I shoot very technically, continuous technical development supports my photography."
Why do you think the Canon Ambassadors Programme is important and what do you hope to achieve by being a part of it?
"I think it is important to share the love and passion for photography and that is exactly what the Canon Ambassador Programme does. Our job is to go out in the field and find great stories. My job is to share these stories and to explain in an engaging way how I was able to capture the images, so other photographers can follow my path. We also try to make the products even more refined and to give straight feedback to the [Canon] engineers in Japan – we are the voice of photographers out there. A great camera doesn't create a good story, but it helps you to capture it."
Twitter: @Richard_Walch
LinkedIn: Richard Walch
Website: www.richardwalch.com