By Bill
(Photographs are courtesy of Alan Murphy and are copyrighted © with all rights reserved, duplication is prohibited.)
Years ago, when I first became serious about doing wildlife photography, I was inspired by the work of Alan Murphy, whom I regarded as the best bird photographer in the world. Since then, I have communicated with Alan about a variety of matters, and always Alan has responded with helpful assistance and guidance. In recent years, Alan and I have both served as moderators at Nature Scapes Net, the premiere Internet site for nature photography.
Alan now conducts photographic seminars. Photo Travel Review Magazine highly recommends that you consider what he has to offer, especially if your interest is bird photography.
Alan has been captivated by birds since his childhood in England. Even in his youth, Alan found himself inextricably drawn to nature; growing up he found solace from the trials of life under a canopy of trees while in the company of birds. His passion for birding thrived. As he consulted various publications, Alan was fascinated with bird photos and at a loss as to how anyone could get so close to capture such intimate views.
As a young adult, he traveled to roughly twenty countries and always made time to visit the natural areas his various destinations had to offer. Upon immigrating to the United States, Alan found himself overwhelmed and somewhat intimidated by the diversity of bird species, many with such subtle variations they were nearly impossible to distinguish from each other.
He used a camera with a borrowed 300mm lens to take bird photos, later poring over the prints with a field guide to help identify the birds he had seen. While this proved an effective method for learning about North American birds, he could not help comparing his rudimentary images to the published photos he continued to admire.
He adopted the too familiar photographer’s mantra for greater focal length and purchased an inexpensive 500mm lens, continuing to pursue photography voraciously. The more time he spent in the field, the more enamored he became with birds.
One photographer’s name that seemed to be everywhere was Brian Small, and due to fate, plus some planning on Alan’s part, they eventually met. In the photographer Alan admired he also found a great friend. They began to take photo trips together and Alan’s photography transformed. He learned from Brian how to find certain birds and get closer than he had ever dreamed possible.
This is at the heart of Alan’s workshops during which he teaches participants the techniques which lead to world-class images.
For over fifteen years now Alan has been photographing birds, while at the same time operating his own successful Houston business started twenty years ago. Over time he carefully added to his collection of camera gear and now uses a solid Nikon digital SLR system, where much of his work relies upon his 600mm f/4 lens.
He takes whatever time he can to photograph and is energized by the time he spends with birds. Drawing from the different forms of art in his background, he approaches photography with an artistic vision, pre-visualizing the images he wants to take home. He feels blessed to have been born with gifts allowing him to feel such passion for birds and capture images of them, and derives great joy in being able to share the world of birds with others through his images.
Alan conducts seminars in Texas and Alaska. In great demand, his seminars are booked months in advance by attendees. The reason is that his seminars are held in high regard by bird photographers world-wide.
Alan’s numerous photo credits include National Geographic, Birding, Birders World, WildBird, Bird Watcher’s Digest, North American Birds, Texas Birds, Texas Parks & Wildlife, Texas Highways, British Birds, Outdoor Alabama and more. His photos are also published in various field guides, books, CD-ROM’s, calendars, and postcards. Alan is both a Nikon and Wimberley Professional Services Member.
Photo Travel Review Magazine highly recommends the seminars offered by Alan Murphy. His seminars have earned the PTR five star rating.
If you want to learn how to do world-class bird photography, you can’t go wrong attending his workshops. Details about his workshops can be found here.
