Recently he captured the photo of a lifetime, and it only took him six years to get right! It took him 4,200 hours and around 720,000 photos before capturing the perfect shot showing a kingfisher diving into the water without a single splash. "The photo I was going for of the perfect dive, flawlessly straight, with no splash required not only me to be in the right place and get a fortunate shot but also for the bird itself to get it perfect," McFadyen told The Herald Scotland.

"I would often go and take 600 pictures in a session, and not a single one of them be any good. However, looking back on the thousands and thousands of photos I have taken to get this one image, it makes me realize just how much work I have done to get it." The photo I was going for of the perfect dive, flawlessly straight, with no splash required not only me to be in the right place and get a fortunate shot but also for the bird itself to get it perfect," McFadyen told The Herald Scotland.

"I would often go and take 600 pictures in a session, and not a single one of them be any good. However, looking back on the thousands and thousands of photos I have taken to get this one image, it makes me realize just how much work I have done to get it." The kingfisher is known for its vibrant plumage and living near bodies of water where it can catch its prey by diving. "I remember my grandfather taking me to see the kingfisher nest, and I just remember being completely blown away by how magnificent the birds are". "I'm sure my grandfather would have loved it, I just wish he could have seen it. All of my family contacted me when they saw it and said he would have been so proud of it." In a candid e-mail interview with Rohan Laik of the economictimes.com, McFadyen opens up about fisherman days, his obsession with the kingfisher and his passion for nature and life in general.

Q. How did your obsession for the kingfisher start? Alan McFadyen: My passion for nature started as early as six. At the crack of dawn, I would go out cycling with my grandfather who would help me spot nests while looking for birds. Then one day, we reached a tranquil location after a 3-km ride which was a breathtaking sight of a stone bridge with a crystal clear stream situated amongst reed beds and deciduous woodland. With a twinkle in my eyes, I waited unwearyingly for my surprise. I had no idea what to expect!

After an hour or so, a piping call was heard and my grandfather quickly asked me to look down. All I could see was an electric blue bulletin shooting upstream. I could not comprehend that a bird in the UK could be so colourful, like a bird of paradise. It was love at first sight for me! I just couldn't have enough of the bird and I wanted to learn everything about it. The seeds of passion for bird-watching were planted and it never stopped. But it wasn't until 2009 when I purchased my first camera and took up photography, that it became an obsession!

Q. Any special incident that you recall while waiting for that perfect shot? Alan McFadyen: It was from my first hide that an otter made its way into my tent. As I sat there, it stretched up and put its front feet on my knees and stared right into my eyes. I would describe it as an intimate moment with an extremely shy creature!

Q. This picture got you the attention you deserve. But is this personally the 'photo of your life' or your best work? Alan McFadyen: Up until now, yes, it's my personal favourite, but I still hope to achieve better. The golden backdrop you see is a distant beech tree where the leaves turn this colour for a few days only. I needed good light at this time which isn't normally the case during October in Scotland. I couldn't get the photo in the early hours, and with it being a high tide that day which I knew it would be tricky. So emerged this picture with me, half submerged, in water. Finally, I got some luck as 99 times out of a 100, the kingfisher at the point of entry, usually, has it wings folded in tight to its body to become more streamlined.

Q. What is the camera you are using? What is your dream device? Alan McFadyen: I use a Nikon D4 with a Nikon 70-200 lens and use a 2x converter, if required. I would love to own a Nikon 500, but at this moment I have no real need as I can get my subjects close to me.