Gary Mc Alea  1971 - 2019

Award-Winning International Wildlife Photographer, Gary Mc Alea was born in Dublin, Ireland, where he spent his childhood. He then moved to South Africa, where he spent nearly twenty years learning to love nature and animals and developing a love of capturing their incredible moments to share with others. Photography was his way to enhance the colorful stories the Irish can’t help but tell at every turn. Gary  lived in Texas, USA for fifteen years. This is where he met his lovely wife, Katheryn, who thankfully shared his love of wildlife and nature. They were celebrating the opening of his Gary Mc Alea Photography Gallery on North Padre Island's Black Sheep Bistro when he passed away in 2019.

A driving force behind his work was conservation of animals and their environment. This passion drove him to work with many wildlife related non-profits, rescue and rehabilitation organizations, and endangered species breeding programs. Some  favorites included shooting endangered Kemp’s Ridley sea turtle hatchling releases at Padre Island National Seashore, joining Texas Sealife Center to capture images of wildlife surgeries and releases of rehabilitated animals, and doing a full collection of images for Fossil Rim Wildlife Center, which included photographing their amazing cheetahs and a pregnant endangered Mexican Grey Wolf. These, and the other amazing conservation organizations Gary worked with, are critical to wildlife in their given areas, and were the most rewarding part of his work. His wife, Katheryn, carries on his legacy of conservation.