When attorney Alan Barry is not at work at his medical malpractice and personal injury practice, he is globetrotting, taking photos of high-end homes and Hollywood celebrities Kim Kardashian, John Legend, Martha Stewart, Alec Baldwin and Meryl Streep. Barry, a Danbury attorney for 43 years, remembers what he likes to call that "moment" when he realized the magic of photography. He was 9 years old and his father handed him a camera and told him to have some fun. "I don't remember the results, but I do remember the moment," Barry said. "I remember that anticipation of wanting to get those pictures back. I was just knocked over on how you could take a photo and capture a moment." Years later, at 68, Barry has long graduated from entry-level cameras. He now plies his trade with high-end Nikon D5 and D850 equipment, often in lush settings, but the joy of capturing time has not wavered. Barry said he took a photography hiatus, for the most part, until college. He said he was "too busy with girls and breaking windows." But his artistic passion quickly manifested itself again in college when, at the University of Connecticut, he had the opportunity to photograph many of his friends. It's there, he said, he developed "a portraiture style" of shooting his subject. "Instead of taking a head shot, you interact with people with the lens," Barry said. "A portraiture style is designed to convey who that person is. You get a sense of their character and their spirit. I wanted those photos to look natural." By 1976, Barry had  graduated from the Western New England College School of Law and set up his law practice in Danbury. The photography continued, but it mainly involved family and friends. Then he got his first big break: a chance to enter a world of glamour and travel. It came at the grand opening 12 years ago of the MGM Grand Foxwoods casino. As luck would have it, the house photographer the company had hired for the venue dropped out right before the shoot. Barry's daughter, who at the time was the marketing director of VIP relations for MGM, convinced her father to fill the void. "To say I had no idea what I was doing was an understatement," said Barry, who took photos at the event of celebrities such as Michael Douglas, Sean "P. Diddy" Combs and Catherine Zeta-Jones. The next day his work appeared in New York City newspapers and the Hollywood Reporter. His photography career was about to take off. The lifelong lawyer was also soon proprietor of Alan Barry Photography.

Two Worlds

Barry now found himself at the helm of two careers, devoting 60% of his time to his law business and 40% to photography. That second path has put his work on the pages of the New York Times, People magazine, Harpers Bazaar and given him a two-page spread in an upcoming issue of Architectural Digest, his ninth feature for the publication. Barry is also the house photographer for the Sotheby's Designer Show House, and has served five times as house photographer for the acclaimed Holiday House Designer Show House. His assignments have brought him face to face with some of the most recognized stars of business and entertainment. Legend, the Grammy Award-winning singer, for instance, "was a sweetheart of a guy," according to the attorney-photographer. "He was incredibly warm and very easy to shoot," Barry said. "Despite his fame, he was as down-to-earth as you can be." But Barry remembers actor Baldwin as less easygoing. He said Baldwin told him in profanity-laced terms that Barry had just two minutes to take his photos, and said he'd walk out after those two minutes, whether the photo shoot was completed or not. Now, the boy who once took photos with a box camera is gearing for new adventures behind the lens. Up next is an intimate photo shoot on Aug. 5 with Post Malone, one of today's biggest international rock stars. Then, Barry's off to Manhattan to shoot a $35 million home for a private owner. Between takes, he's wearing a suit and handling local Connecticut litigation.