We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Craig McNeil. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Craig below.

Craig, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?

My company name is McNeil Designer Portraits and my tag line is “Bringing Families Together”. I photograph families exclusively on location in Colorado. I then offer a product, (Bonded canvas/Chromatic Fusion/Oil on canvas) you can’t get anywhere else. I have a style that is unique and different from most other photographers and artists.
I photograph only families as that’s what I love to to do.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I started in photography after a lifetime ski career back in 1989. I always had a passion for photography and was looking into how I could make a living with a camera. Initially I started with restaurant and nightclub promotions and morphed into school photography, photographing 100-200 children a day. Over the course of time that evolved into family portraits in the front range and mountains of Colorado.

At the time I began to photograph families exclusively, I began to study marketing that I could apply specifically to my business. I found that, the more specialized I could be, a niche if you will, there could potentially be more profit. That became my mission and my passion.

Over the years I’ve honed my craft and collaborate with some of the top photographers in North America. All in the endeavor to best the best I can be for my self and my clients. In the day and age where everyone has a camera in their pocket, what do you need me for?

So I needed to be different….. a “category of one” if you will. Limited choices with select products that the average consumer cannot get on the open market. So it is an apples to oranges comparison with the intent to minimize competition in my field. After 33 years in business I have an even greater passion and enthusiasm for what I do.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

Yes! Coming off 2.5 years of Covid, I realized that I love that I do and am even more passionate about photography than ever before. My mission is to love my clients and produce a product that will be come a legacy they will enjoy every day of their lives.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

When I was a young boy, my Mom gave to permission to be happy. My Dad died when I was three, so I grew up without any paternal influence. Mom used to tell me that my Dad always got up with a smile on his face and a song in his heart. She told me “I don’t care what you do, just be happy doing that”. So that was the permission I received at an early age to follow my heart in everything I do. I came from nothing so I had nothing to lose…. and that’s the way I approached everything I’ve done in my life. So life became a creative canvas upon which I could draw the vision of my life.     

Contact Info:

• Website: www.McNeilDesignerPortraits.com
• Youtube: The McNeil Difference

Image Credits
Headshot photo by Sterling