We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Creigh McIntyre. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Creigh below.
Creigh, appreciate you joining us today. What’s something you believe that most people in your industry (or in general) disagree with?
When I began photography, there was a lot of emphasis on getting everything done in the camera, to make all the decisions on the spot on how the final photo will appear. As I’ve developed in my photography journey, I’ve seen other photographers’ approaches to creating their final photo. I realized that it can be correct in the camera, and yet still incomplete. I explored this using a technique called light painting. This is a technique where the camera sits on a tripod and is controlled with a remote. While the camera is exposing the photo, I walk through the scene and light up different parts of the car/landscape. While taking multiple photos, I carefully light the subject to bring out light, shadows, and textures. With many photos now taken, I can then take them to my workstation and stitch them together using software such as Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop. Using this technique, I can light everything in the scene specifically the way I want. I can then assemble them in a fashion where only the lit parts are used in a photo and the rest are discarded. The final image is a thoroughly lit photographic painting which gives the viewer an insight into how I saw the scene in my mind, without the restrictions and limitations of taking a photo in a single exposure.
Creigh, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
My photographic journey happened after my first child was born. The repetition of work, home, work, home- it was difficult for me without a hobby to have in the mix also. I conversed with my wife and decided on buying a camera. I figured it could be a good hobby and maybe put some artwork on the walls of our small beach apartment. I spent a lot of time in those early days of photography taking sunset photos at the beach.
I then took a couple photography classes and started watching videos on YouTube. After seeing how other photographers approached their photos and seeing how creative I could be, I was hooked. I would take my camera everywhere and take pictures of everything. I’d take the “best” photos and put them on my Facebook page, and the comments were very supportive. Soon, I was getting approached to do portraits at various types of events. While submitting a bid to do portraits for a performance arts company, Creigh Photography was officially created. Creigh is my first name, as well as that of my great-grandfather, grandfather, father, and son.
My thought process was that I could professionally take portraits with my existing equipment, and then use the income to continuously upgrade my photo equipment. Time went on and I began to refine the photography that I enjoyed the most, which was landscape photos. But, with a family, time is at a premium. Therefore, I had to get smarter at the way I approached photos and utilized my time. Studying Google Streets/Maps, tide/moon calendars, and other apps that aid in planning photos, I became strategic in planning and executing my landscape photos.
I remember a photo I took that changed everything. It was a photo of an aloe flower with the sunset in the background near Scripps Pier. I was thinking I could light up the flower with a flashlight and provide more depth and color without bringing a bunch of lights, soft boxes, stands, and other gear to complete the task. I took a photo of the sunset and waited until dark, and then took a few more photos while lighting the flower in different ways. When I took the images home, I consulted YouTube and learned how to combine the photos. I was pleased with the final image and went out again to see if I could do it again with other foreground subjects. My next subjects were small dinghies on the shore near the Coronado Bridge. After that, I went to a car show to see if I could do it with cars as well. Turns out I can, and I did… Lots of cars.
With quite a few light-painted cars in my portfolio, I approached Santee Fire Department and asked if I could use the same technique on a Fire Truck. The result was more than I was hoping for, and I then expanded to police cars, ambulances, helicopters, and airplanes. Today, I’ve worked with many departments in Southern California and some outside the state, including Maui County, Hawaii, Logan City, Utah, and Reno, Nevada. My style and technique are unique to me and they continue to expand.
We’d love to hear the story of how you turned a side-hustle into a something much bigger.
My photography started about 10 years ago when I got my first real camera. I began with landscape photos, and slowly moved onto portraits. When I felt it was time, I found a local performance arts company that was in search of better-quality photos. I knew that I was the person that could provide those. To get the contract, I had to turn my talent into a business. I got the contract and began growing my small business. I photographed a lot of performance arts events, families, weddings, maternity shoots, special events, etc.
Moving forward a few years, I discovered some new techniques that allowed me to get into the automotive industry. This is where I found my passion. I started with photographing car shows and transitioned to making appointments to photograph cars in some of San Diego’s most iconic locations. After building my portfolio a bit, I branched out to aircraft and emergency vehicles. I began to develop a positive reputation in the fire/police communities.
This is when it got to a point where I would have to make a decision- Do I quit my day job and do photography full-time? In this decision, I remembered back to when I started photography in the first place. It was a stress reliever and something that brought me joy. I decided to keep my business as a side business because I don’t want to depend on what makes me happy to support my family. Since my photography is at night and I work during the day, it just made sense to maintain a balance between work and family and keep the thing that relieves my stress.
In this journey, I hope to keep meeting new and amazing people as well as create photographic art that people can enjoy.
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
Pivoting from portraits and weddings to automotive photography was a difficult decision. I thought back to when I started photography and asked myself- If photography was supposed to be a hobby and one that makes me happy, why am I continuing to expand in directions that don’t follow my heart? I began to turn the ship and slowly take a new direction away from photographing people to creating images of cars, emergency vehicles and aircraft. I knew it was a smaller niche, but it was the direction I needed to go to stay creative and continue this journey. As a photographer, I keep striving to improve my craft by providing more creative photography for my clients.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.CreighPhotography.com
- Instagram: @creighphotography
- Facebook: @creighphotography
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjfGYrFMLPt_aDXVqo6Ti5A