Countless hours of lugging a telephoto lens through America’s most rugged terrain are paying off for alumnus Paul T. Brown. His new photography book “Conserving Wild America” is drawing critical praise, but he said he does it because he loves it.
Brown, a Brandon resident, has published wildlife photography books before, but his new one has already received honors from the Outdoor Writers Association of America and the Southeastern Outdoor Press Association.
Brown said he has had an interest in photography since he was in high school, but didn’t become obsessed with wildlife photography until he was a student at Mississippi State.
“My interested in taking pictures of animals began at MSU in the early ’70s,” Brown said. “I did some hunting and that kind of developed into taking pictures of wildlife animals. I made Noxubee Refuge one of my favorite spots to go.”
In his newest book, Brown displays 144 pages of conservation animals. It features common species such as deer, ducks and turkeys along with endangered species such as bald eagles, wolves and bison. Each section of pictures also contains a brief narrative in which Brown discusses each photographed animal.
For 30 years, Brown has dedicated his life to wildlife photography in the hopes that his work will stress the need for continuing wildlife conservation. He praises the efforts of conservation organizations and explained that without their accomplishments the occupation he has chosen would be difficult.
“I hope to inspire people to enjoy wildlife and protect it. With my books I want to create awareness to conserve wildlife,” Brown said.
Stoeger Publishing representative Janet Watkins said her company looks forward to publishing more of Brown’s wildlife books.
“Paul seems to have an eye for capturing animals in their natural habitant. He tries hard to bring images of animals that not everyone gets to see everyday,” Watkins said. “He brings it home and does a wonderful job photographing these wild animals.”
Although a Mississippian, Brown often travels outside of the United States to photograph animals. Western Canada, South America and Central America remain just a few on the list of places Brown has visited. However, he loves Mississippi and North America.
“For a while I thought of moving to Montana, but I really like it here,” Brown said. “I think sometimes people take Mississippi for granted, but there really is a lot here, especially to photograph.”
“Conserving Wild America” has received much credit for its intimate detail of the world of wildlife and Brown’s artful ability to capture the essential qualities of the species.
“This book resembles National Geographic and was made for most Mississippians,” said Josh Hailey, recent graduate and fellow photographer. “I think it would be a great book for any hunter.”
Brown plans to release two other books in the near future, “Whitetails” and “The Top 10 Places to View and Photograph Wildlife.”