Rik Forschmiedt has been photographing Vashon Island sports and other subjects since 1992. An Island resident since 1989, he was sports editor, photographer and general news reporter for The Vashon-Maury Island Beachcomber from December 1995 until retirement in November 2006.

Rik is now a free-lance photographer and continues to contribute to The Beachcomber and other small newspapers.

He has been a volunteer assistant coach for Vashon High School track and field, cross country, and girls and boys soccer.

Rik switched to digital photography in the fall of 2004 and currently shoots with a Sony alpha a900 paired with various Minolta, Konica-Minolta and Tamron lenses.