What moves me to be a photographer - my "Aha Moment."
I’m an artist, creative photographer and workshop presenter who owns and manages Picture Ohio, LLC dba Photography by Jim Crotty studio and gallery, located in The Village Exchange shopping center on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. I’m originally from Dayton but has also lived in Salt Lake City, Utah. I’ve been involved with photography since the mid-1970’s, starting out with a Pentax camera and a black and white darkroom in the basement of my childhood home. In addition to my work with fine art nature and landscape photography I provide commercial and editorial photography services that include architectural, product, portrait and event imaging.
In 2007 one of my wildlife photographs was chosen for publication in National Wildlife and Nature’s Best magazines as well as shown at the Smithsonian Natural History Museum in Washington, D.C. Images have also been published in USA Today and the Smithsonian Magazine. Installations of my fine art nature prints can be viewed at hospitals and medical centers in Dayton, Columbus, Lima and Portsmouth, Ohio. My editorial clients include Great Lakes Publishing, the University of Dayton, Housetrends Magazine, Orange Frazer Press, Gray and Co. Publishers, Ohio State Parks and the Dayton/Montgomery County Convention and Visitors Bureau.
CPP (Certified Professional Photographer) designation through Professional Photographers of America earned in 2009. A number of awards through juried print competitions with the Professional Photographers of Ohio.
I teach and present both introductory and advanced photography workshops on nature and landscape photography, digital editing and workflow and developing artistic vision. I shoot almost entirely with digital equipment including Canon EOS camera bodies and Canon L lenses and utilize Mac based hardware for editing, post-processing and digital file management.
Graduate of both the University of Dayton and Westminster College of Salt Lake City. Veteran of the United States Marine Corps Reserve. Hence the self-determination needed to eventually say I graduated from those schools as well as an "appreciation" for summers in South Carolina.
Constantly inspired by the works of David Middleton, Art Wolfe, Jim Brandenburg, Tom Till, Guy Tal, Rick Sammon, and of course, the masters, Weston, Adams and Strand.
I love life in the Low Country of coastal South Carolina. I’ve taken to the water by becoming a boater. I’m still challenged by the whole docking-in-a-strong-current thing but like every challenge I’ve come across, I’ll master it. I enjoy cycling and trying to be a good dad for my two daughters. I’m single and will probably stay that way now that I’m on the backside of my 40’s. I’m done with drama but just getting started in discovering what truly matters in life by seeking the good light, lifting my heart and finding peace.
Current Employer
Picture Ohio, LLC dba Photography by Jim Crotty (South Carolina)
Current Job Title
Gallery/Studio Owner and Photographer
I specialize in...
Commercial and freelance photography services include corporate portraits, editorial, architecture, product, events. Fine art nature and landscape work to include print sales and installations as well as stock image licensing from a library of over 10,000 photographs. Also, the presentation of photography workshops and presentations with topics that include the basics of nature photography, digital workflow, artistic vision and creativity.
Jim Crotty’s Interests:
Snow skiing, boating, PADI Certified Open Water Diver, Civil War history, travel, reading, cycling, camping and hiking
Artistic Influences and Inspiration:
Ansel Adams, Edward Weston, Art Wolfe, John Shaw, David Middleton, Rick Sammon, Tom Till, Jim Brandeburg
Jim Crotty’s Groups:
Professional Photographers of America
Professional Photographers of Ohio
North American Nature Photography Association
Outdoor Writers of Ohio
National Association of Photoshop Professionals
Awards
Finalist - Time Category - Canon Camera/Ron Howard Project Imagin8ion
Silver Addy, 2010 Dayton Advertising Association Hermes Awards, Elements of Advertising/Photography
1st and 3rd Place, 2010 Professional Photographers of Ohio Fall Print Competition, Nature Non-Master
One Award of Achievement; three Honorable Mentions, 2010 Mid-East States Regional Print Competition
1st and 2nd Place, 2009 Professional Photographers of Ohio Fall Print Competition, Nature Non-Master
Three Awards of Achievement, Illustrative Category, 2009 Professional Photographers of Ohio Print Competition
Three Honorable Mentions, Illustrative Category, 2009 Professional Photographers of Ohio Print Competition
Silver Addy, 2008 Dayton Advertising Association Hermes Awards, Elements of Advertising/Photography
1st Place, Midwest Division, 2008 National Historic Landmark Photo Competition, National Park Service
1st Place: Best Color Nature Photo, Outdoor Writers of Ohio, 2008 Spring Conference
Award of Excellence as a Finalist in Photographer's Forum Magazine 27th Annual Spring Photography Contest
1st Place, New Life – Professional Division, 2006 National Wildlife Photography Awards Competition, National Wildlife Magazine
Bronze Addy, 2007 Dayton Advertising Association Hermes Awards, Elements of Advertising/Photography
Bronze Addy, 2007 Dayton Advertising Association Hermes Awards, Collateral Material/Brochure
1st Place: Best Black and White Nature Photo, Outdoor Writers of Ohio, 2006 Spring Conference
Bronze Addy, 2005 Dayton Advertising Club Hermes Awards, Elements of Advertising/Photography
Bronze Addy, 2005 Dayton Advertising Club Hermes Awards, Arts/Self-Promotion
Award of Merit, The View 2004 – All-Ohio Juried Landscape Competition, Rosewood Gallery of Kettering, Ohio
Award of Merit, The View 2003, Rosewood Gallery, Kettering, Ohio
Statement on Requests for Free Photography
http://calmphotos.com/?page_id=4085
Commercial and Editorial Clients
Over the Back Fence Magazine
Ohio Magazine
Ohio State Parks Magazine
Rittal Corporation
Beazer Homes
Housetrends Magazine/Reach Publishing
Dental Economics Magazine
Mills-Morgan Development Ltd.
Battelle and Battelle, LLP
Idea Television
General Dynamics
Cherbo Publishing Group
Great Lakes Publishing
University of Dayton
Veolia Water
Installations of Fine Art Nature and Landscape Prints
Miami Valley Hospital, Dayton, Ohio
St. Rita's Hospital, Lima, Ohio
Zangmeister Center, Columbus, Ohio
Portsmouth Family Care Center, Portsmouth, Ohio
Grayson Family Center, Grayson, Kentucky
Public Presentations
NYC Chapter of the Sierra Club, Manhattan, NY
The Dayton Rotary Club
2006 Shoot the Hills Weekend, Hocking Hills, Ohio
Tripod Camera Club, Dayton, Ohio
Focus Photo Club, Dayton, Ohio
The Orvis Store, Dayton, Ohio
Publication
Cover Photo - Spring 2011 - Ohio State Parks Magazine
Cover Photo - December 2010 - Over the Back Fence Magazine
Spiritus: A Journal of Christian Spirituality, Spring 2010, The John Hopkins University Press
Cover Photo and feature article - "Two for One," Housetrends Magazine, April 2010
December 2009 Smithsonian Magazine
Cover Photo - Fall 2009 - Ohio State Parks Magazine
Cover Photo - May 2009 Issue - Ohio Magazine
2009 Calendar, National Park Service - National Historic Landmarks
The Digital Canvas, Layers Magazine, January/February 2009
Feature Article, “The Time Keepers Design,” Housetrends Magazine, November/December 2008
Cover and feature article - Housetrends Magazine, April/May 2008 Issue
Cover - Trail Guide Cuyahoga Valley National Park, 3rd Edition, 2007
Cuyahoga Valley Trails Council, Gray and Co. Publishers
Redrock Almanac: Canyon Country Vignettes, by Michael Engelhard,
published by Johnson Books
Feature Story – Beautiful Ohio, June 2007 Ohio Magazine
December 2006/January 2007 National Wildlife Magazine
Cover – Fall 2006 Issue of Ohio State Parks Magazine
Cover and Feature Article, Living Arts Magazine, Jul-Sept 2006
Cover – Spring 2006 Issue of Ohio State Parks Magazine
Dayton: On the Wings of Progress, Cherbo Publishing Group, Inc., January 2006
Ohio Archaeology, Orange Frazer Press 2005