Today we’d like to introduce you to Edward DeCroce.
Hi Edward, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Thanks for this invitation to show my life and work in your Magazine.
Photography has always been an enormous part of my life –– for the most part, I focus on people. But I also enjoy photographing exotic travel locations, critters of all sorts, machines, flowers and cast-iron industrialism. The path has been a winding one… still is. But diversity has helped me stay afloat.
And 2025 was packed with all sorts of fun assignments. For the past few years, my son Levi has been my assistant and second photographer, so he keeps us both fresher for week-long photoshoots. Video and aerial drone photography has become our new passion. We traveled the western U.S. for jobs in alternative energy like geothermal and fusion –– spent a few weeks creating compelling images deep in underground mines (one is located just 6 miles from the south rim of the Grand Canyon) –– and we had fun gigs closer to home too. Two of my favorite long standing clients are non-profit organizations. The Gates Institute For Regenerative Medicine offers a yearly blend of portrait, event and health-care photography. And Denver City Lax (an organization that brings lacrosse and structure to underserved youth), gives me a mix of portrait, editorial, sports and events.
I was exhausted by July but the fun wasn’t over yet. I traveled to Boston for a romantic engagement photoshoot and from there, went on to Switzerland where I photographed another fine couple before landing in Firenze, Italy to shoot stills on a video commercial for an international travel company – Globus Adventures. All of that came after a week in Mexico to visit –– and yes, photograph, a dear friend’s mother.
Being a professional photographer since I was a teenager makes me vintage (like a fine tawny port, right?). I did have a couple of other jobs during my college years, but made pictures then too. As a white-water river guide, I made action shots for my company and landscape images of the canyons. I even packed an old 8×10 view camera with a Packard shutter on these 4 day river trips. For readers who aren’t historians of photography, a Packard shutter is an air powered leaf shutter activated by a rubber bulb. The shutter stays open as long as the you squeeze the bulb allowing for long exposures. Since I wasn’t truly experienced yet, I overexposed some of the images. But through experimentation, I discovered that mounting the bright sheets of positive chrome onto museum board gave a translucent back-lit quality. I sold them as one-of-kind works of fine-art photography.
After college, I worked as a cameraman and photojournalist for newspapers in Colorado mountain towns. And in Denver, I did a lot of freelance work for magazines like Colorado Homes and Lifestyles. Although I enjoyed interiors and architectural photography, I preferred people. One on my fondest shoots was of Billy Kidd in Steamboat with his family and in the deep powder.
But my story starts much earlier. All of this was possible because of my parents. Of course, that’s true for anyone. But in my case, it’s even more befitting. Edward Angelo DeCroce, my big nose Italian dad, and Signe DeCroce, his lovely Norwegian bride founded a Denver photography studio in 1960. And now, with my son working on photoshoots, DeCroce Photography Studio is a three-generation 65 years-old business… WOW! On my site, please visit the “Tribute” page under “About” to read more about our legacy.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
The biggest challenges always come from within, right? For those in creative endeavors, that might be even more true. Because in creative pursuits, we bare our soul for all to see. When we fail, everyone knows. But as we learn to grip our fears with the talons of unrelenting tenacity, we plod on. Like climbing a tall peak, we immerse ourselves in each step’s breath until we pause for an instant to look back to see how far we’ve come. And THAT’S the reward.
Since I started out over 4 decades ago, there have been a shitload of external changes in professional photography. An alchemist standing in a dark room under “safelights” has now become an electronic wizard sitting at a desk working on a bright screen. Reputation and word-of-mouth were once the holy grail for small visual creatives –– they’re still critical. But search engines and social media now consume so much time. Within the evolution of digital photography the actual capture of a photograph is so much easier than it was –– and it renders such amazing results. Predecessors like my father must be writhing to escape their graves and join the fun. What makes this a challenge is the sheer number of capable newcomers to the business.
Phone pictures have noshed a giant bite out of business for portrait, headshot and family photography. But the biggest obstacle now is artificial intelligence. Writers, musicians, film makers, designers and yes, photographers too, are looking at the real possibility that their world is sinking into a black hole. And think of the support pyramid — producers, gaffers, make-up, editors and on and on.
And so… the word diversity slips back into my story. About 20 years ago, I was making executive portraits in a downtown Denver tower when the marketing agent, asked if I do field work…. my positive response was only partly embellished. And the next week I was on a plane to shoot oil operations in the Marsalis basin of Pennsylvania. From that time, industrial work lead to commercial location gigs in aviation, advertising photoshoots for national brands and photography for travel lifestyles. Never one to burn bridges, I still do portraits and even an occasional wedding shoot. Google energy photographer and you’ll find me at or near the top with my work in renewable energy photography.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
When I tell younger photographers that I assisted my dad’s photoshoots using a 4×5 camera (one sheet at a time) their eyes glaze over and look at me like the vintage person that I am. Even 20 years afterwards, using the medium format Hasselblad, we shot with just 12 or 24 exposures. Compare that to the digital age. It’s funny to say it now but I change out a card when there’s just room for 100 images.
Over the years, I’ve made fine portraits of judges that are displayed in the halls of courthouses, had national advertising shoots, commercial photoshoots at airports, coal mines, shot weddings and sports and family portraits and story-boards for corporate clients, lifestyle photography, industrial photography and more. If you visit my website, you’ll see a large diversity portfolios.
What are your plans for the future?
The Future! Ah…
2026 is off to a good start with another long photoshoot slated in Italy. I’ll be the unit photographer for a film entitled “Once Upon A Time In Tuscany” written by Tim Daish.
I just hope Levi and I can continue to get paid to tell stories in pictures. AI will be a giant hurdle for all creatives.
Pricing:
- I just charge $650 per hour and less for non-profit organizations.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://decrocephotography.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/edwarddecrocephotography/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063533770163
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/?trk=guest_homepage-basic_nav-header-signin
- Other: https://decroceblog.com
