Growing up, he developed a passion for photography while learning from his father. The two of them spent many weekends side-by-side capturing life’s big moments at weddings. “Photos are a snapshot of what you’ve seen and experienced. They allow for others to understand your experiences and gain insight to how you view the world around you,” he says.

In college, Richard was known for his passion for photography. Always seen with his camera in hand, he would take snapshots of students’ lives in between the hustle and bustle of classes. “People would stop me to take their photos when I was in school,” he recalls. “I even missed a few classes here and there for it.”

However, the connections between radiology and photography weren’t always obvious to Richard. After a recommendation of a classmate, he explored the idea of radiology as a career, and it sparked a real interest for him.

He soon found that just like photography, every radiographic image tells a story—filled with information and insight into a patient’s life. These images play a vital role in helping providers detect and monitor diseases such as cancer, offering high-resolution detail that guides critical decisions in patient care.

More than three decades later, he’s still glad he followed the suggestion.

Over the years, Richard’s days have been filled with high-tech machines, clinical images and problem solving. Yet, outside the health system walls, he’s never lost touch with his first love – photography.

To Richard, photography is more than a hobby – it’s a way to stay connected. He has always enjoyed being outdoors and loves taking nature walks. Following this passion, Richard still finds himself in areas like Westport or even Provincetown, taking snapshots of landscapes and the beauty that surrounds them.

“Nothing settles the soul like a nice nature walk,” he says. “Even on vacation, my eyes are always open to what’s around me. I’m known for waking up before everyone, sometimes at 4 or 5am to take it all in.”

Today, Richard’s landscape photography is featured on the wall of the PET/CT department at Southcoast Health Cancer Care – Fairhaven bringing calm and beauty into the space.

“You can do more than one thing well,” he says. “You don’t have to put yourself in a square. My passion for photography makes me better at what I do in radiology, and vice versa.”

To view Richard’s photography: www.richgeada.com.

To learn more about PET/CT, please visit: www.southcoast.org/services/radiology/pet-scan/.