Neil Alexander says that he sees the world through the lens of his camera, and it’s allowed him to see the beauty and truth that often goes unnoticed by most in their day-to-day lives.

Alexander’s portraits will be on display in the Marion Art Center’s Cecil Clark Davis Gallery from March 9 until April 24, with an opening reception Friday evening from 6 p.m. until 8 p.m.

“It pretty much encompasses the last 25 years of doing portrait work,” Alexander said. “The subject matter ranges from jazz musicians to writers to artists, to my own kids as well as commercial work I’ve done, like corporate portraits or bridal portraits.”

There will be about 30 of Alexander’s portraits on display, and some of the names will be recognizable, if not the faces themselves. Late author and journalist David Halberstam, novelist Anne Rice and jazz trumpeter Doc Cheatham are all featured, as well as numerous local artists from the South Coast area that have been subjects of Alexander’s portrait work.

“It shows kind of a range of styles of portrait photography, with both studio portraiture and environmental portraiture,” he said. “What the viewer is going to see is the creative demands of an assignment and how I as a photographer approach each assignment, the process of making a portrait of someone and what that entails.”

Alexander said he was honored to be invited to show his portraits at Marion Art Center, especially when he found out that while his work is being exhibited, the Center’s Patsy Francis Gallery will feature work from Sippican Elementary School students from Erin Kirk’s art classes. Their exhibit will also feature portraits.

“It’s always a worthwhile endeavor to have the opportunity to work with kids,” Alexander said.

In fact, it was his own child that led him to the area in the first place. Prior to moving to Mattapoisett, Alexander lived in New Orleans for 30 years. However, when Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005, he and his family relocated to Massachusetts.

“We were uprooted because of the storm, but we didn’t lose our home,” he said. “The school system there closed down, so we decided to stay up here for my son to attend high school and college. Now, we travel back and forth.”

“We keep in touch with our community down there, but we’re also building a new community up here as well, with our friends and fellow artists,” he said. “I consider us lucky to have landed in the New Bedford area, because we’ve met and have been adopted by an incredible arts community.”

Being close to Boston is also a nice perk for Alexander’s work as an architectural photographer, and he and his wife Nancy are also owners of Gallery 65 on Hatch Street in New Bedford. Alexander also does film work, especially on educational television projects.

“That’s sort of the other hat I wear,” he said. “I work in the school systems, filming teachers and other things. And I am also a documentary film producer as well.”

Whether it is a planned portrait or something just shot in the moment, Alexander said he can capture a face in a unique and intriguing way that goes beyond just taking someone’s photo.

“It involves a process of understanding and communicating, yet it’s something that’s intuitive,” he said.