A wanderer and wonderer. Teacher, artist, father, lover of light. Jim Crotty grew up in Kettering, Ohio, near Dayton, where the woods and creek behind his childhood served as the entry point for his exploration into the joys of nature and landscape photography. With an old Pentax Spotmatic F and a black-and-white darkroom in the basement, Jim was blessed with the introduction to photography as his way to connect with nature and share his love of those connections with others.
Following high school in Kettering, Jim earned his Bachelor of Arts in Communication Management from the University of Dayton while serving as a U.S. Marine Corps Reservist.
A story that is unique and exciting for Jim Crotty. The corporate path eventually led him to Utah, where he earned a master’s degree in communication in the 1990s before returning to Dayton in 2003. As a marketing manager for a local company, he caught the attention of the executives for his real estate photographs, and he was sent around the country for that firm on photo shoots. That spurred him to create Picture Ohio, LLC, which started as a venture to provide fine art prints to corporate clients. Word about Crotty’s work spread, and he added art dealers and interior decorators to his base of customers.
Now living in Rio Rancho, New Mexico, Crotty is also a Communication Instructor at Central New Mexico Community College and is pursuing a Doctor of Professional Studies in Instructional Design Leadership at Franklin University.
Crotty’s subjects as a photographer are varied. Along with shooting nature and landscape prints and his work for corporate clients, he also provides portrait photography for high school seniors and families and real estate, product, and architectural images. On assignment, he has been published in USA Today, Smithsonian, National Wildlife, Nature's Best, and Ohio Magazine, among other media outlets.
In 2009, Crotty earned his Certified Professional Photographer designation through the Professional Photographers of America.
“Nature photography is a refuge. It’s my sanctuary.” Crotty added. “Through the prints that I publish, showcase, and sell, and from the workshops and instruction I provide, I want to illustrate the deeper meaning of photography as an art and a purpose.”
For more information about Crotty’s workshops, images, and services, email him at [email protected] or call 937-477-9324.