About

It’s only recently that I’ve begun to see myself as a photographer, never sure I deserved the title. In truth, the art was already part of my heritage, waiting for me to notice it.

My great-great-grandfather, James Crawley, was a pioneer in photography and early motion pictures. He worked alongside William Friese-Greene, experimenting with what he called, "The Crawley System," a "two colour experiment" that produced some of the earliest known color photographs. Their claim dates to 1897, though historians debate whether the process took shape closer to 1901. The dates may be debated, but the achievement is undeniable.

The family stories about him that trickled down are fragments: that my great-nana was born on safari in Australia while he was photographing for a nature magazine abroad in 1896. That my great-nana later found a job at Pinewood Studios in its early days—though what she did, or whether the job was found through her own interests or by his connections, I’ll never know. That he died penniless in a state run institution; not a single photographic work or camera left to be passed down. The trail ends there. When I reached out to museums said to house his cameras, I never heard back and the exhibits were longer open.

What I do have are two small prints: one of Crawley with a Freise-Greene camera, and another of Friese-Greene created through Crawley's color system. They hang above my desk, quiet reminders of what once was.

My own path followed a different track. After studying film and television in Massachusetts, I built a career in production. First working on commercials and music videos, and eventually, unscripted television. What began as a one-off coordinating job grew into decades long career, where I most recently worked as a production executive on chart topping shows. It was steady, rewarding, and supported a fulfilling life; marriage, family, a home in Los Angeles, but it wasn’t the creative path I imagined in my twenties.

Photography, though, was always part of me. Over the past 25 years, I’ve photographed with everything from 35mm film to full-frame DSLRs to mobile phones, always searching for light, quiet, and the unexpected in familiar places. My whole life, I avoided calling myself a photographer, but revisiting my archive showed me something I hadn’t admitted before: the images mattered. They spoke to me, and I hope they might speak to others.

That’s why I’m here now, sharing them with you.

Here you’ll find:

- Fine art prints, available in a range of sizes, unframed.

- Signed editions in limited numbers, each with a certificate of authenticity.

- All produced on museum-grade paper utilizing a 12 color giclée printing process, designed to last.

I don’t know if James Crawley would recognize himself in my work. But I like to think that in every frame, something of his spirit lives on.

Thank you for visiting. I hope these photographs invite you to pause, to reflect, and to find your own story within them.

-CL