Award-Winning Nature Photographer Creates Picturesque Ohio

Jim Crotty, an award-winning nature photographer based in Dayton, Ohio, has established the business entity of Picturesque Ohio to showcase his work with fine art prints, an extensive file of stock images and offer services for assignment/location photography.

Kettering, OH (PRWEB) August 6, 2003 -- A Dayton-area photographer has recently started a new business venture under the name of Picturesque Ohio. The primary purpose of the business is to market and sell fine art photographs of scenic landscapes, nearly all of which were shot in state nature preserves and parks throughout Southern Ohio. The photographer, Jim Crotty of Kettering, manages the business from a home office where he has compiled an impressive inventory of images as well as established relationships with professional photo finishing services and suppliers of fine art products. Crotty also recently published a full-color, four page brochure that showcases select samples of his work.

Crotty plans to grow Picturesque Ohio by marketing his growing portfolio of landscape and nature print images to local galleries, art dealers, businesses, area art shows and individual buyers. Im always taking notice of the artwork in offices, lobbies and client waiting areas. Rarely, if ever, do I see fine art photographic prints displaying landscapes and other attractive natural locations within Ohio," commented Crotty. Mostly there are the usual prints of popular national parks out west, such as Yosemite, the Grand Tetons, Arches and the Grand Canyon. Not to say those locations do not present themselves as beautiful subject matter, but Ive found that the natural beauty of our own home state can be just as breathtaking and inspiring, especially when photographed with a discerning and well-trained eye, professional equipment and film and an awareness of how a constantly changing light can dramatically impact a natural scene and subject. People who view my photographs are always surprised that the images are of Ohio scenes, the assumption being that the Ohio landscape is featureless and flat. My photographs clearly illustrate the exact opposite of that assumption."

The photographic prints offered for sale through Picturesque Ohio include carefully exposed images of waterfalls, cliffs, and woodlands found in Clifton Gorge State Nature Preserve, Hocking Hills State Park, and John Bryan State Park. Prints from Picturesque Ohio are hand-crafted using the state-of-the-art LightJet printing process. Each print is signed and numbered by Jim Crotty. Print sizes available include 11"x17", 16"x24", 24"x36", 34"x51" and 40"x60." Customers can also choose to have the prints mounted, making them even more suitable for custom framing. Picturesque Ohio accepts cash, check, Mastercard and Visa.

An Ohio native, Crotty grew-up in Kettering. He is a graduate of both Alter High School and the University of Dayton, where he earned his Bachelor of Arts in 1989. Before returning to the Dayton area, Crotty lived in such scenic locales as Charleston, South Carolina and Salt Lake City, Utah. He also completed professional training in nature photography at the Rocky Mountain School of Photography in Missoula, Montana as well as earning a Master of Professional Communication degree at Westminster College of Salt Lake City.

Most recently three of Crottys prints, taken in Clifton Gorge State Preserve and Hocking Hills State Park, were recognized with an Award of Merit at The View 2003, an all-Ohio landscape competition organized and presented at the Rosewood Gallery in Kettering. His photographs have also won other awards and have been published in the Utah newsletter of the Sierra Club. In addition to his preferred portfolio of nature and scenic subject matter, Crotty has also extensive experience in on-location, assignment work, especially as that work pertains to corporate publications such as employee magazines and company annual reports.

He has photographed architectural projects in urban settings such as Manhattan, Chicago and Los Angeles. The same basic principals of composition and lighting associated with nature photography can be successfully applied when photographing cityscapes, offices and many other subjects. Although my primary focus (no pun intended) is on Southern Ohio landscapes, I am available for specific assignments, especially when those assignments are associated with outdoor settings and the client requires a detailed, professionally exposed photograph for publication. I use a combination of 35mm, medium format and digital equipment."

Jim Crotty currently resides in Kettering with his wife Kristie and their two daughters, Emma and Chloe. Those interested in viewing some of his most recent images can do so by visiting www.picturesquephio.com. Crotty will also be presenting select prints of his work for sale at the 2003 Art on the Commons festival to be held at Lincoln Park in Kettering on August 10, 2003. Crotty is a member of both the North American Association of Nature Photography Association and the Dayton Visual Arts Center.