Craig McCord, originally from Jacksonville, Florida, concentrates on fine art landscape photography. His interest in photography started in the early 1970’s after acquiring a used Petri 35mm camera and gaining access to a dark room while serving in the Air Force. Craig quickly developed an ever-increasing passion for photography as a means of creative expression. Over the years he has developed his artistic skills using 35mm, 645 and 6×7 medium format, and 4×5 large format media, before making his transition to digital capture in 2006.
Largely self-taught, McCord was influenced by black and white photography icons Ansel Adams, Bret Weston, and John Sexton among others. One can see these influences come through in the richness of tones of Craig’s black and white works. Other greats such as Elliot Porter and David Muench influenced and molded Craig’s artistic eye and approach to subject matter. Craig’s style evolved showing a fondness for wide angle perspectives. He often incorporates strong foreground elements to add a measure of depth, drawing the viewer into the image. While having a certain fondness for landscapes of the west and northwest, he believes the United States overall is blessed with some of the most diverse and beautiful landscape in the world. Today he is increasingly returning to his black and white roots, where he finds his most rewarding work.
Currently, residing in Kingsville, Missouri, Craig focuses entirely on his fine art work and instructing other photographers in pursuit of their passion. Selections of his work reside in commercial and private collections in several states and throughout Missouri. The National Park Service selected Craig’s images of the Ozark National Scenic Riverways to highlight their celebration of the Park System’s centennial celebration in 2016. His works have been used in AAA Travel, High Country News, and other publications. He is also a guest contributer at Visual Wilderness.
Craig currently hosts workshops under Creative Light Photography Workshops in Missouri and Kansas, as well as several in the Northwest, including the Oregon and the California coast, Smoky Mountains, Hocking Hills in Ohio, and the Grand Tetons in Wyoming.
To follow Craig, visit his blog at Creative Light.