by Elisa Baxt

Bucks County is home to beautiful landscapes – from fall foliage to sprawling farmlands – and few capture that imagery better than photographer Kevin Crawford.

An amateur photographer for the past ten years, the 33 year old recently decided to pursue photography as his full time profession. Kevin, who was raised in Warrington, fondly recalls his childhood in Bucks County.  He especially enjoys taking photos in nearby Doylestown and visiting some of the small, independent farms in the surrounding area.

Get to know the talented photographer:

BH: What would your dream job be?

Kevin: I want to see everything and go everywhere! It would be exploring places here at home and across the world. I would love to provide stunning images to tourism outlets, magazines publications, or websites for all to share in my passion. With the internet so accessible in our daily lives, pictures can help people plan their ultimate destination for vacation or see things they may never be able to see in person. My ultimate dream is to travel the world taking photos.

BH: Do you have a favorite subject to photograph?

Kevin: My favorite subjects to shoot are landscapes and nature. I love capturing local areas, landmarks, wildlife, and the happenings that they involve.

BH: Think quick! Where are your two favorite places in Bucks County to shoot?

Kevin: My two favorite places to shoot in Bucks County are Fonthill Castle (Doylestown) and Cuttalossa Farm (New Hope).  How many people can say they have a castle in their “backyard” with Fonthill and the Mercer Museum?  And if you ask me, Cuttalossa Farm is a place that seems like it's been lifted from a page of a fairytale.

BH: Why landscape photography? What are some of the challenges? What’s the key to making a great landscape photograph?

Kevin: Living in Bucks County we have some amazing views to see and explore.  Photographing landscapes always sends me on a true adventure. One of my favorite things to do with my fiancé is to drive through Bucks County without the GPS guiding the way. We literally go out of our way to get lost and turn onto roads we haven't been down before! Landscape photography allows me to catch the natural beauty and scope of areas that may be typically overlooked. It may be viewing the turn of the beautiful fall colors from top of Bowman's Hill Tower, or the first snowfall on the many covered bridges we have. Landscape photography allows me to stop, explore, and capture the beauty in that moment.

One of the challenges is trying to do something different that people aren't doing all the time.  Everyone can stop and snap a picture of the Playhouse in New Hope. But I believe most of the time its perspective that sets a photographer apart. Finding a spot and angle that allows you to catch a beautiful water reflection, or the golden rays of the sun piercing through the trees is a shot that normally people don't think about. Being able to “frame” your shot properly is important. I personally choose to shoot more asymmetrical with my landscapes.  Sometimes the subject, say a boat or building, is off to the side, but then the beautiful massive landscape takes up the rest of the space. Sometimes the true subject (building, monument, person etc) is only a small part of the total scope and composition of the photograph.

BH: What kind of photography work are you currently doing and which organizations have you recently worked with?

Kevin: Currently, I have been involved with a lot of real estate photography. I work with various professionals from ReMax, Keller Williams, Judd Builders, and Alderfer Real Estate across Bucks and Montgomery Counties. In addition, I also have a working relationship with “Visit Bucks County”, helping to provide local photography for their website for visitors to explore online.  I pair this work with corporate/business photography, professional headshots, and family sessions.

BH: You have a passion for landscape photography… but do you do portraits or weddings?

Kevin: I photograph a lot of families, children, and portrait photography including business headshots. It's always fun to connect with friend's families and watch them grow, and of course, meet new families to capture their memories. Taking the reigns of a large wedding honestly scares me, as we all know the amount of pressure in getting those incredibly important moments right. I have no problem leaving large weddings to the experts in that field.  That said, I have been known to shoot smaller “backyard” weddings from time to time!

BH: Do you have a drone?

Kevin: I have a drone and it has been one of the most unique (and fun) items in my photography “toolbox”.  In an instant it allows me to capture the world in a view that you normally had to pay a lot of money to get, typically from a plane. Not only has this taken my landscape photography to a new level, but this is an incredible tool for real estate photography.  I pair ground level shots with aerial photography to provide stunning views of the property to give the buyer the ultimate immersive experience. The use of a drone gives any wedding, event, and location an incredible perspective that was previously nearly impossible to achieve before. Much like my camera, I now never leave home without my drone!

BH: What typical preparations do you make before a photoshoot?

Kevin: First, make sure my batteries are charged!!  But depending on what the shoot is, I will visit the area ahead of time and start brainstorming ideas to achieve the must-have shots. I may even explore the internet for inspirations if it's something I haven't done before.  Like most photographers, we have to be adaptable to light, weather, and location. So as long as I've packed my various lenses, flashes, and cameras, it makes a lot of tough game-day decisions a lot easier to handle.

Although Kevin's goal is to be a photographer for an international magazine such as National Geographic one day, for now he would love to work with more tourism outlets, work with companies to provide more human-centered photography for their websites instead of typical stock photography, and continue to grow his network within the real estate photography realm, all while continuing to capture the beautiful open spaces, farms, parks, museums and all the other unique areas Bucks County has to offer.

Kevin can be reached at kevincrawfordimagery@gmail.com. His website is www.kevincrawfordimagery.com, and be sure to follow him on Facebook and Instagram.

We Are Supported By: