Crombie McNeill | 1941 – June 7, 2024

We are deeply saddened to note the passing of our dear friend and PHOTONews contributor, Crombie McNeill. Crombie passed away peacefully with his darling wife Sue at his side.

Before extolling the virtues of Crombie the photographer, let us remember the far more important and impressive Crombie the gentleman. Those who met Crombie were greeted the same way, whether he knew you for 20 years or 20 seconds. Crombie quickly felt like that friend you had known forever – warm, welcoming, jovial and with the sweetest sense of humour. Often self-deprecating, always modest and humble, Crombie was the living definition of “gentleman”. Crombie made everyone around him feel comfortable.

This is what made Crombie such an incredible photographer – not his immense skill and natural eye, not his gift of storytelling through a viewfinder nor his unique processing methods, but his congenial demeanor and his ability to connect with everyone in front of his camera. You weren’t photographed by a Nikon camera and Ilford film; your story was recorded by Crombie.

Crombie McNeill was a unique artist. He received numerous awards and has been recognized as one of the best editorial photographers in North America. His credits include Time, Newsweek, ELLE, Life, National Geographic, Sports Illustrated, Chatelaine, Paris Match, McLean’s, En Route and even Playboy (editorial) to name but a few.

His career as a photographer started with photographing disadvantaged people at the Ottawa Mission. His work with those less fortunate led to Crombie coming back regularly to take documentary portraits of homeless people.

Like most people, Crombie had a perception of homeless people that was informed by a biased narrative – that they were dangerous and unstable. When he into the Ottawa Mission in Ottawa, he discovered something very different. “I went into the Ottawa Mission with great trepidation, but the people welcomed me and offered me coffee. Here I was, with all these prejudices and what I found was a group of warm, generous and kind people,” remembered Crombie.

Crombie focused on the faces of the homeless people – wanting those faces to show their personalities and tell their stories. He noted their eyes, smiles and texture of their skin spoke far more to the person inside. Crombie’s goal with this work wasn’t to advocate for solutions to the homeless epidemic, but to transfer some of the empathy he felt for his subjects through his imagery. He commented, “At the very least, we should look at them as fellow human beings”. Well said, Crombie.

His 60-year career saw him travel the world, and lead Crombie from the Arctic to high fashion magazine shoots to Olympic Games, World Cup events, the depths of the Great Barrier Reef to altitude with the Snow Birds, interwoven with civil war in Africa to visits with royalty, from presidents to paupers worldwide. And he would have been quick to mention his frozen toes at the North Pole.

His photography has been exhibited in galleries across Canada, the United States and Europe and Crombie has three books to his credit.

Not one to leave behind the uniqueness of traditional film, Crombie evolved a blending of photography with hand-applied and computer processing to produce truly unique images.

“The art of photography for me” says Crombie “is to convey a timeless essence with a hint of mystery”.

The National Archives predicts he will be credited as one of Canada’s most significant photographers. The National Art Gallery of Canada has some of his fine art b&w prints included in their permanent collection.

He will be deeply missed by his loving wife Sue and their daughter Tanya, his many fans & friends near and far and the patrons of Ottawa Mission and other support facilities.

Michelle Parr from Harman Technology was a big fan. “Crombie was an inspirational man, and it was really a pleasure to get to know him over the last few years. His knowledge, passion, skill and experience as a photographer and printer was clear for anybody to see and it was an honour to be able to share his work.”

“Crombie was an inspiration to me,” remembers Hayley Ohlig, President of Amplis Foto, “We chatted often about projects past and to come, images taken, experiences lived. His ‘perspective’ – both photographic and philosophical – challenged me to broaden my own ideas. Always ready with a joke or humorous anecdote, Crombie brought joy into every day. I will miss him, but his legacy lives on in every image he took and people he inspired.”

I was lucky enough to work closely with Crombie the past few years. “He really was one in 20 billion. There was never another like before nor will we likely see another after that mixed that blend of warmth, modesty, joy and technical skill. Crombie was someone I felt I knew forever – we spent most of our calls just chatting  – talking photography and stories and sharing about what was going on in our lives and telling jokes. Many, many jokes. I’ll never forget his laugh. Every time I talked to Crombie, I learned something new about photography and about myself. His knowledge can never be replaced.”

At Crombie’s request, no official service will be held. At Sue’s request, kindly raise a glass of your favourite beverage whilst remembering Crombie. He has left us with many fond memories. Donations to the Ottawa Mission can be made in Crombie’s name.

As many of you know, Crombie loved Ilford HP5 black and white film. In his honour, Amplis Foto and Ilford/Harman Technology will donate a portion of all sales of Ilford Photo products during the month of July in Canada to Ottawa Mission.