Exhibit: Wild Birds and Other Inspirations

Published: September 17, 2012

Plum Island Birds, © Alan Cormier

Joppa Flats Education Center announces the opening of an exhibit featuring the nature photographs of Amesbury resident Alan Cormier.  “Wild Birds and Other Inspirations” will be held in the Center’s Juliet Kellogg French Room from September 23 through November 11, 2012. A portion of all purchases made during the exhibit helps to support Mass Audubon’s Joppa Flats. 

A North Shore native with a PhD in analytical chemistry, Alan Cormier found upon retirement from the medical instrumentation field that he was motivated by a need to carefully observe the natural world. He decided it was time to pursue a lifelong love of nature. A particular fascination with astronomy sent him on worldwide treks to photograph total solar eclipses.

Al describes how one thing led to another. “On these trips I also noted a frequent tendency to snap pictures of wildlife in the region. With a bit of introspection I began to understand that I particularly enjoyed taking pictures of birds in their natural activities,” says the Amesbury resident.

“I started out as a total novice with a poor understanding of what was involved, but through studying the process with an accomplished lifelong photographer I have begun to improve. I now try to apply the concepts of light, line, and color in the photographic composition of the birds. In particular, I try to have the shapes and color amplify the subject and its activity. Hopefully, some of these efforts will be enjoyed by others.”