Peter J. Crowley

Fine Art Photographer

A Providence Door

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A Life in Photographic Art, Another Door Entered

In the early 80’s and in love I moved to Providence, while there I worked at RISD and Brown. One day meeting a friend who worked in RISD’s publications office for lunch I continued my life long series of doors. Posing Kate in the doorway and myself directly in front the series Layered life began. As we walked on to lunch Kate mentioned that the door was to Harry Callahan’s home. Thirty years later I still seek open doors and the humanity that lies within and I continue to ponder and reflect with compassion, in the view finder, my soul exposed in every subject.

You may look at lots of images but back in the pre artifiscal age and today still for me the decisive moment was not taken 1000 exposures per image to later photo shop and find your idea. Creativity came from within the viewfinder, the rectangle the mind. The little nuance of the two of us reflecting in the door knob were not a “happy accident” it was composition, creation. It was/is mine.

enjoy pjc

Photographic Art more doors, under Harry’s and here. Are the doors still open?

The Fine Art Portrait with film

Spring of ’72 or of Photographic Art

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1972 it was a long time ago. The spring of my visual journey one camera two lens a new 105mm and a train trip to NYC. Early weekend day stroll to Staten Island Ferry for a ride over and back. Still a student, yet the seeds are planted the road mapped out. Fertilized with Woodstock, The Vietnam War and social consciousness. The Passionate observer was born.

Already shooting and seeing full frame the rectangle was new composition and visual statements began.


The first years there was so much to see yet being new I sometimes would not shoot for I had not learned the nuance of subtle confrontation. Perhaps this quality taught me to be selective to pre edit what I commented on? Editing isn’t done anymore just make 100 images and post them all good doesn’t matter it is now speed and greed. But I digress to the future 1001101010. This day trip yielded less than a roll of film yet now 38 years later I find almost a quarter of the images worthy of the print.

The women one the link above was immediately worthy of a print and shown for a class assignment. It was not a stolen image as I communicated to her with a gesture that I was going to shoot her a gesture in return and a moment was created.     enjoy pjc
past the 140 character digital chains again but this is about the Seventies when there was a deep end to the gene pool. Reality/sarcasm/cynicism/optimism all in the blender to seek provoke communication. ART!

Photographic Art


Enter or Exit

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I have been adrift lately through a sea of old images. Perhaps I have always been adrift, never focused on one subject. But isn’t light seen and transposed into emotion a subject? Is not humanity a subject? So some days it is a breast some days a door. To me it is all light, all human intelligence inspiring thought. What is behind that door? How wonderful the back light caresses the nipple that brings life to a newborn. I pose the question you decide if you will enter through the door or exit to a vanilla upgrade.

I write sometimes as promised in a previous post a poem “Between Here and There” to come not this week but soon. My verbal images tend to be darker than my visuals. This week was dark enough for me anyway. There is a plethora of retrospect in my life now, revisiting thousands of glimpses of light and emotion from thirty eight years of motion made still. What comes next? No answer, no exit. “Something always comes next.”

enjoy pjc

Photographic Art

Models sought for final Kodachrome/Transparencies sessions