Crozier Photography

John Crozier is the photographer for neighborhood magazine where we live. Think «Better Homes & Gardens» on a much smaller scale. Each month the magazine features a family in a «get to know your neighbors» section, and this is how we met. He visited our house to get a few pictures of us and our kids for an upcoming issue.
I imagine it’s not terribly difficult to get a decent picture of adults; most can follow directions, after all. Children are whole different matter; That perfect moment is fleeting. Inducing that moment (while making it look natural) is even more difficult, and that’s what I watched John do time and again with each of my kids. He has a light and upbeat way about him, and they responded well. As he’s bouncing on the trampoline with them his camera is clicking away, rapid-​fire, and they’re all laughing and carrying on. Those shots were instant framers.
I know from reading the magazine that he does this with a different family and whole different set of personalities each month, and he makes them look great. Consistency is the mark of a great photographer, IMHO.
Not to go off here, but I also think he has a good point of view. The «digital darkroom» lets anyone with a $ 1,000 camera call themselves a photographer, and I’ve seen a lot of portraits that border on the surreal with the amount of post-​processing; the colors are crazy, huge blurs and vignetting, etc. When I saw the pictures I could tell they’d been touched a bit, but tastefully, and in a way that didn’t distract from the subject. It takes restraint for the photographer not to insert themselves into the product, given it’s so easy to do with software. Capture the moment, don’t manufacture the moment, right?
We’ve had professional shoots with other photographers, and Crozier’s pricing was right where it should be. He offers photo books, custom framing, and the digital files too if you want to print on your own. In the follow-​up consultation he’ll bring a bunch of samples for you to check out. His gear is top-​notch and he doesn’t bring too much with him.
I highly recommend you make your Christmas card awesome this year.