Geoffrey Crawley has always been a hero of mine! To me he was one of those rare amalgams of artist and scientist. His remarkable FX developers were a literal manifestation of his aspirations, those aspirations to set new standards in photographic prints. Those aspirations also informed his view; that there was a precise intersection between art and the technical aspects of photography. Where other “photo-scientists” were making developers to efficiently reduce silver halides and minimise grain Crawley was researching how we see photographs and how his formulas could lift the look of our prints, raise them, to a higher level.
I’ve always admired Crawley greatly and used his formulations for most of my photographic life. I wanted to share some of that experience and excitement with you in some blog posts.
I did not personally know Crawley, and never met him, but through using his formulas for so many years I feel I have worked with him in some way.
So, as you read these blog posts please know I offer this knowledge that I have gleaned over many years from Crawley’s, and others, writings.
Geoffrey Crawley (1926–2010) was a towering figure in the photography world, known particularly for his rigorous scientific approach to photographic chemical formulation, and his balance between the artistic and technical aspects of photography.
For sixty years, Crawley’s work transformed the craft for amateur and professionals alike, with his pioneering methods and new chemical processes in developing film. This lead him to provide high performance developers both for home use and commercial formulations for Paterson; such as his the famous Acu range.
Crawley also became editor of the British Journal of Photography from 1966 to 1987 and contributed to Amateur Photographer magazine. Through this work he brought new and class leading formulations to the masses. But, despite all this fame, he was a humble man. As an example of Crawley’s humility, someone who worked with him said that, as famous as he was, he didn’t want to use his full name in his published Amateur Photographer articles.[1]
Crawley’s innovations were never merely the technical exercises of a scientist but instead were the direct responses to fellow photographers’ practical needs. Crawley’s developers enabled amateurs to achieve professional-grade results, previously reserved for experts.
His photographic formulations remain benchmarks in analog photography, used by practitioners many decades after their introduction and still as relevant today as they were when Crawley first created them. Crawley did, as just one man, create professional, class leading developers that the giants in photography such as Ilford, Kodak, and Agfa spent many millions trying to do.
In this blog, and on my website www.pictorialplanet.com, I will be describing many of the Crawley developers that I’ve used over the years, that can be easily made today, providing advice and practical tips on their formulation and application.
Researching this work, in the latter half of last year, brought back many fond memories of how excited it was to make the formulations again and use them for my craft. It reminded me how ahead of the game they were, and I believe still are, with some formulations still being used regularly on many peoples' films. I hope to pass that excitement on to you so that these wonderful developer formulations can give you the pleasure they have given me.
Please subscribe to my blog to follow this fascinating journey.
[1] https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2010/nov/15/geoffrey-crawley-obituary