David M. Frings: from mayor of Alabaster to wildlife photographer and world traveler
By Katharine Armbrester
Photos by David Frings
In August 2025, the exhibition “Feathered Focused: Wild Birds Through the Lens of David M. Frings” opened at the Gadsden Museum of Art. With his camera, Frings captured 
striking images of stately plumed egrets, tropicbirds in flight, and a glowering barred owl with visible blood on its talons. Throughout the evening, whenever museum patrons did not linger in front of his pictures, they continually asked Frings about Alabama wildlife—and he was the perfect person to answer their many questions. Not limited to birds, Frings has photographed landscapes, rare wildflowers, and animals in 22 countries on four continents. “I’ve seen 6,000-pound male elephant seals fighting,” Frings says, “I’ve seen whales from boats, I’ve been to Nicaragua and Australia and snorkeled on the Great Barrier Reef.”
The acclaimed wildlife photographer admits that there are few images of humans in his extensive portfolio. “I don’t photograph many people other than my grandkids,” he chuckles. For Frings, his love of photography began early. He had pet parrots and collected tropical fish, and by the time he was 14 he had 70 aquariums. “I wanted to photograph my fish, so my mother and father got me my first SLR camera for Christmas,” he says. “Dr. Mike Howell, a family friend and biology professor at Samford University, came over to teach me the basics and how to photograph through glass and water. The rest is history.”
In 2000, Frings was elected mayor of the city of Alabaster. During his three terms, two large shopping centers were brought to the area, tripling the city’s revenue. Employee pay was also raised, and programs for senior citizens were introduced, including the city’s first senior prom.
“Being mayor reduced the amount of time that I had for photography but never eliminated it,” Frings says, explaining that since serving as mayor was essentially “part time” he could continue with his professional career and hobbies. “I rekindled my interest in photography in the middle of my tenure as mayor, when I began my career at Samford University in 2006.”
The first six years Frings served as mayor, he also worked full-time at the Alabama Power Company (now Southern Company), and during the second half of his time as mayor he also taught full-time at Samford University in the Howard College of Arts and Sciences.
“I probably slept four hours a night for 12 years straight,” Frings says. He is now grateful for the opportunity to be able to devote more time to nature photography. Though no longer a public official, Frings is still serving a curious public that wants to know more about nature and Alabama wildlife.
Along with the inquiries he receives regarding his furred and feathered subjects, Frings is always delighted to receive positive comments about his photos on Facebook. A woman recently messaged him that she was unaware of the diversity of wildlife in Alabama. She also mentioned she was unable to go outside due to mobility issues and thus his nature photographs meant a great deal to her, writing “You are my eyes!”
Deeply moved, Frings realized that his photographs were both educational and a positive outlet for his followers, and he decided to continue posting photos to social media, despite the risk of his work being stolen. “It made me realize that seeing my images made the general population aware of our natural heritage,” he says. “Conservation through awareness in other words. If we don’t know that an animal exists, how can we learn to love it and support its preservation and conservation?”
Frings continues, “I love making people aware of wildlife and how to conserve it. I donated the images for the interpretive sign located at Shoal Creek Park in Montevallo and had my images published in Alabama HeritageMagazine, The Garden Dirt magazine, [and] the book Exploring Wild Alabama.”
Shelby County was well-represented in his recent exhibition, which included photographs Frings had taken of birds in Alabaster and Montevallo, including the tiny and colorful songbird known as a golden-crowned kinglet.
Despite his reputation as an excellent photographer, Frings reveals he does not have a studio or darkroom set aside for his use, choosing instead to edit his photos wherever he finds a comfortable spot and commandeering the dining room table when he needs a large surface to mount his prints. And he’s happy to share his knowledge of preferred photographic equipment with others. “You will need a good quality camera and a long lens to successfully photograph wildlife,” Frings explains. “I use a Nikon D500 with a Tamron 150-600 mm lens. You need a telephoto lens that is a minimum of 300mm.”
A tripod and a good flash are also helpful, Frings adds, but for new photographers he stresses the importance of starting simple, suggesting you can begin capturing nature with the smartphone that is likely already in your pocket.“You may not be able to get shots of birds or large game, but you can capture excellent images of flowers, insects, small animals,” Frings says, adding: “Learn the basics that way, then upgrade.”
Frings says that he rarely goes outside with his camera without deciding beforehand what creature he hopes to capture with his camera. “I typically have a particular species in mind,” Frings says, “I may choose two or three and determine where I will have the best chance to see them.” When he decides what bird or animal he wants to photograph, Frings studies the species’ habits and learns about their natural habitat, which informs him where to carefully walk through the terrain as he searches for his subject. “It is best to approach the animals with the sun at my back in either the early morning or a little before sunset,” Frings explains, “This homework is 60 percent of the process.”
The David Frings Wildlife Photography Facebook page has more than a thousand followers, and he is always happy to answer the questions of fledgling photographers. He suggests that those new to photography join a local camera club such as the Shelby County Camera Club, which meets every first Thursday of the month at Alabaster Library. Over the years, he has greatly enjoyed teaching wildlife photography at Samford University’s Academy of the Arts and at the Shelby County Arts Council.
Frings hopes that Alabamians will learn more about the wildlife in our state and be spurred to contribute to conservation or lobbying efforts in order to ensure the survival of endangered wildlife species in our state. He fervently believes posting wildlife photos and informing the public contributes to a greater good. “Numerous people tell me ‘I didn’t even know this thing existed,’” Frings says, “I feel like I have to get out there, and I have to share what I see.”
Currently, Frings is writing a book about the carnivorous plants of the southeast with Dr. Larry Davenport serving as his editor. “We’re field partners,” Frings says of Davenport, also a distinguished photographer, “we go out a lot.” Frings hopes to also include maps of where to find the plants in each county of the southeastern states he and Davenport have traversed. “You can use the book to enjoy it for the photographs or use it to identify what type of carnivorous plant that you have seen in the wild.”
Frings already has more books about Alabama nature planned and is also looking forward to an upcoming trip to the Galapagos Islands with his family, and suggestions about cameras and conservation are not the only pieces of advice he has to give. “Learn as much about as many things as possible,” Frings says. “I’m still learning, hopefully I’ll never stop. You shouldn’t stop learning until they close the lid.”