We had the good fortune of connecting with Alyce Bender and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Alyce, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
Being an Air Force veteran and married to a spouse who is still active duty, I was looking for a career that could move around as much as we did instead of jumping from job to job every 2-3 years as the military moved us. When considering what I might be able to do, I turned to my passion and long-term hobby of nature photography. From there I started drilling down into the niches and potential revenue streams that I would find most appealing and started to build my business from there. Today, the short description of my business is Nature Photographer, however, while I do a bit of everything under that umbrella, my specialties are wildlife with concentration on species of special concern, Japanese nature, abstract and impressionistic images, and macro and close-up
photography.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Overall, my time is split between creating new work and helping others do the same. Creating new work allows me to test gear, explore new-to-me techniques, keep my own skills up-to-date and advancing, as well as enjoying the craft. New images also allow me to highlight new projects, locations, and conservation issues.

However, the majority of my professional time is spent teaching, both in-person and virtual seminar sessions or in the field leading workshops and tours. Being able to help others explore new locations and/or gain skills that bring them happiness is a wonderful thing in my books. Additionally, much of my teaching has additional layers that go beyond just photography to include ecology and conservation. This way, when participants return home from a workshop or tour, they aren’t just showing pretty pictures but also spreading awareness through sharing the personal connections with the environment and wildlife they have captured, touching others who may not have previously known or cared about a particular region or conservation issue.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
This is a difficult question as I have so many places I consider local and that friends might visit me in. Currently based out of San Antonio, TX, I would absolutely take them to see the San Antonio Botanical Gardens. It’s a real gem in this city.

However, in Arizona, I would take them to Tohono Chul Gardens or Madera Canyons in the Tucson area. Both locations are bountiful birding hotspots and have lovely scenery native to the area.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Two fellow photographers and Arizona residences I would love to give shoutouts to would be Joe Neely and Lisa Langell.

Joe is an amazing wildlife and landscape photographer and good friend. He has helped me on more than one occasion to include showing me around parts of Arizona I might not have otherwise explored. His work has given me inspiration throughout the years.

Lisa is one of the kindest people you will ever meet. An absolutely wonderful artist, photographer, and teacher, Lisa lights up the room with her enthusiasm and openness. Her high key nature photography helped inspire me to break out of the traditional photography and further explore and share my impressionistic work.

Website: www.abenderphotography.com

Instagram: @abenderphoto

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutArizona is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.