I'm an award winning visually impaired fine art photographer / photo artist.

I have a BFA from Virginia Commonwealth University where I concentrated in woodworking / furniture design. I recieved a professional fellowship from the Virginia Museum of Fine Art in 1983 after graduating from VCU. Over the years I have shown work around the country in group shows. Along with furniture I have also produced award winning mixed media sculpture. Since 2007 I have turned to digital photography as a creative outlet and have exhibited work locally and nationally.

Reflections on water have captivated me in their expressive quality. I see the water as a canvas. The reflections as pigment and wind as a brush. Whether as pure absrats or their ability to suggest something beyond themsekves, like a Rorschach inkblot test, they are an endless source of inspiration. The Fuji Pearl paper is the best choice for these.

Some of my photos are manipulated. For example I may alter the form of a reflection photo to refine a suggested detail like a profile of a face to make it more obvious. I also may use artistic filters to enhance them.

If you are interested in an Ivoke aluminium print or a Fotoflot acylic print I need to make adjustments to the image before you order.

I am legally blind due to a congenital form of optic atrophy and I was diagnosed with cataracts in 2011.. My peripheral vision is blurred (20/400 corrected) and the central vision is obscurred by a white blindspot. I use a 4x monocular to do photo editing. Photpgraphy is more than a form of artistic expression but also a visual aide that allows me to revel in the exquisite detail that surrounds us.

If you have vision loss don't lose sight of the beauty of life. If you have lost sight of the beauty of life you are truly blind.

GROUP EXHIBITS

Art At the Speed of Life, Jacey Gallery, Tampa, Fla. 2008.
Divine Equine, Great Art and Frame, Tampa, Fla. 2008.
Hillsborough Visual Artists Alliance Inaugural Exhibition , Carollwood Cultural Center, Tampa, Fla. 2008.
Westchase Artists Society Members Show, Great Art and Frame, Tampa, Fla. 2008.
For the Love of Art, Carrollwood Cultural Center, Tampa Fla. 2009.
Quiet Conversations, Upper Tampa Bay Library, Tampa, Fla. 2009.
Hillsborough Visual Artists Alliance Second Exhibition , Carollwood Cultural Center, Tampa, Fla. 2009.
For The Love Of Art II,Carrollwood Cultural Center, Tampa, Fla. 2010.
Westchase Artists Society at Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater, Fla. 2010.
Passionate Focus, Zhou B Gallery, Chicago IL. 2011
Florida Museum of Photographic Arts 11th Annual Members' Show. 2011.
Nature's Expressions, Exhibitions Without Walls online exhibition, 2012.
Florida Museum of Photographic Arts 12th Annual Members' Show. 2012.

PRESS

Fotografya http://www.fotografya.gen.tr/cnd/index.php?sayi24
CNN Photo Blog http://cnnphotos.blogs.cnn.com/2011/11/29/blind-photographer-creates-works-of-art/
Westchase Patch http://westchase.patch.com/articles/he-may-be-blind-but-craig-royals-photographs-are-quite-a-vision
Yahoo News: http://news.yahoo.com/photos/blind-photographer-creates-captivating-art-1322614741-slideshow/
Slatate.com http://www.slate.com/slideshows/arts/craig-royal-blind-photographer.html
Exhibitions Without Walls http://www.theblogexhibitionswithoutwalls.com/blog-2/
Like Minds: http://www.michele-andree-unblugged.com/craig-royal-finding-gems-worth-saving
VisionAware: http://www.visionaware.org/blog.aspx?BlogEntryID=681
The App Whisperer: http://theappwhisperer.com/2013/04/08/outstanding-photography-by-blind-photographer-craig-royal/
Petapixel: http://petapixel.com/2013/04/15/interview-with-visually-impaired-fine-art-photographer-craig-royal/

BOOK / CD COVERS

Disability and Passing: Blurring the Lines of Idenity
http://www.amazon.com/Disability-Passing-Blurring-Lines-Identity/dp/1439909806/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1351892274&sr=8-1&keywords=disability+and+passing

The Illuminated Heart. Ra-Kalam Bob Moses.
http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/illuminated-heart-feat.-virginia/id543071751

AWARDS

Best of Show, Florida Museum of Photographic Arts Members' Show, 2011.
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.294290663983833.71554.129283857151182&type=3#!/photo.php?fbid=294292013983698&set=a.294290663983833.71554.129283857151182&type=3&theater

COLLECTIONS

Swagel, Wooten and Hiatt Eye Center. Mesa, AZ
Private collections throughout the U.S.