Art Croswell Professional Photography

Art Croswell has been a professional photographer for more than 20 years — long before that he was “playing around” with old Kodak cameras. This fall, he decided to go out on his own after working several years for a New York advertising firm. He still contracts with the firm but is hoping to build up a client base of Northwest Arkansas advertisers.

Croswell stays away from the typical portrait photography. He concentrates instead on commercial advertising and corporate photography, which can involve a number of different venues, including shots for Web sites or calendars.

“It’s something I’ve always loved doing,” Croswell said.

There’s quite a bit of photography involved in the advertising business, and Croswell’s already built up a reputation in the specialty, so he’s expecting his independent business to do well.

“They’re always looking for new photographs,” he said.

Croswell concentrates on 35 mm photography but often has it converted to digital for today’s needs.

With much of the equipment already in place, including an in-home darkroom, Croswell said his startup cost for the new business was less than $1,000.