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New Orleans Photographer Owen Murphy
Owen Murphy, a native of Louisiana, was born in New Orleans and attended schools in the city. After attending the Univ. of New Orleans, he moved to New York City the late 60's, briefly returning to New Orleans in the early 70's. It was during this time that he learned the basics in photography and helped create the New Orleans Visual Collective, a communal learning experience under the guidance of the late Dennis Cipnic. He then moved to San Francisco to continue his travels and further develop his interest in photography. In the mid-70's he returned to New Orleans and was a founding member of the Photo Exchange, which was a collaboration with other photographers to create an exhibition and work space. This was the real beginning of a career that has encompassed many aspects of commercial photography as well as the continued pursuit of personal work, primarily in the documentary field. These efforts culminated in a book, "Creoles of New Orleans", and the awarding of a Visual Arts Fellowship in Photography from the Louisiana Division of the Arts. This award laid the groundwork for continuing the effort to document various aspects of the Louisiana Creole culture. Currently, his freelance career specializes in portraits and the documentation of art work for a wide range of clients from art museums to artists. His archive contains hundreds of photographs of perfoming musicians, various aspects of New Orleans culture, fine art objects, and personal projects; all available as stock images for a variety of commercial needs. He also has been a photography instructor at the New Orleans Academy of Fine Arts for the past 8 years. His photography is in the collection the New Orleans Museum of Art, the Historic New Orleans Collection, the Ogden Museum of Southern Art, as well as many private collections.