Picture This

Picture this: You’ve created an intricate outdoor product display, swathed in nighttime shadows and punctuated by twinkle lights. You hire someone to shoot photos, but there’s a catch. It’s high noon, the sun is blinding and there isn’t a cloud in the sky. Yet somehow the final images look exactly as you imagined. No one would guess they weren’t shot at midnight. 

Scenarios like this happen every day for Tim Brumbeloe and Jeff Crane, the owners of BFA Commercial Photography. And every day, they figure out how to make them work.

“You need to learn how to really see,” explains Brumbeloe. “In our brains, when we show up on
a set, we’ll see immediately what we have to do.”

That vision, coupled with a wealth of knowledge derived from experience and training, sets Brumbeloe and Crane apart as professional photographers. Though they’ve been in the business for decades, each shoot teaches them something new.

“The difference between hobbyists and me is that my bag of tricks is bigger,” says Crane. “With what we’ve learned, we can walk into any environment and solve the problem.”

Brumbeloe fell in love with photography early and even had a darkroom in his house as a kid. By 18, he worked in a studio to learn the ropes. Eventually he started working for Tom Galliher, where he spent more than a decade shooting photos.

Brumbeloe’s time with Galliher also brought him in contact with Crane. When Brumbeloe needed an assistant, he contacted Karen Thompson, a professor at the University of Saint Francis. Crane, one of her students, volunteered immediately without knowing any details. Twenty-four hours later, he found himself on an airplane with Brumbeloe, ready for whatever came next.

“On the way there, anything that could go wrong did, but I didn’t care,” laughs Crane. “This was my first real opportunity.”

The shoot went well, so Brumbeloe kept calling when he needed help. Not surprisingly, when he opened his own studio in 2004, Crane joined him. As BFA Commercial Photography celebrates its 20^th anniversary, they’re now equal partners.

The 1500-foot studio they share gives the pair plenty of space to work and keeps them flexible.

“There’s no way we could have studio space like this in a bigger city,” says Brumbeloe. “We also own all our gear, so we have what we need when we need it. We can pack up and roll out quickly.” 

Still, they seldom work at the studio and even more rarely together; they spend most of their time on-site at client shoots. Since both are well versed in the breadth of their craft, they take a divide-and-conquer approach to their full schedule. 

“Once in a while you’ll find us together on a large production where we do video and still at the same time,” says Brumbeloe. “We can light for both simultaneously and do both at a high level.”

Despite the fast pace of their schedules and evolving technology, they love the work. 

“There’s a constant learning curve with the equipment, the technology and what clients do with the end product,” says Crane. “That’s what keeps it fresh, though. The problem solving, the engineering of a shot is the fun part.”

Their ability to get the perfect shot has laid the foundation for long-term relationships with many of their clients. That, they say, is the real reason BFA has been successful. 

“Over the last 20 years we’ve built a really solid base of relationships. In fact, we’ve had some the entire time,” says Brumbeloe. “It’s been amazing.”

Crane adds, “This little city of ours has given us this opportunity. It’s been fun to see it grow and have a part in helping businesses do their thing.”

In a nod to their genesis as a team, Crane has also maintained his ties to USF. 

“I think one of the coolest things for us is that we use students from USF because Jeff teaches there,” says Brumbeloe. “It’s been amazing looking back at all the students who have worked with us and seeing what they’ve moved on to do. Some have done some really cool things.”

For example, one works for Toyota Racing, another runs the Hamilton Wood Type & Printing Museum, and still another started his own production company. Many others work for agencies or run their own studios.

“No matter how long they were here, each person who has called BFA home has helped make it a better place,” says Crane. “Tim and I couldn’t be more grateful to have played a part in their development.”

The passion Brumbeloe and Crane have for their work shows through their words, their actions and their product. To put it simply, says Brumbeloe, “I just feel really fortunate that I can make a living out of this hobby I had as a kid.” 

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