I moved to Castro Street in August of 1974 at age 20 and was part of a constellation of photographers that hung out regularly at Harvey Milk and Scott Smith’s Castro Street camera store. Harvey recommended me to Crawford as a possible lab assistant, and Crawford “hired” me on the spot, and my non-paid internship with Crawford began. Crawford was well-known for his journalistic work for the then-nascent LGBT National newspaper, The Advocate.
I only lasted a few months doing Crawford’s lab work. He let me go but invited me to continue using his lab, which I did for another year or so. The full-time job at Milk’s camera store and my preoccupation with my own career took over, so there were no hard feelings.
I will never forget Crawford’s generosity. He was a Southern gentleman with a big heart through and through.
It was a great time in our lives... we had an ad-hoc group of LGBT photographers who met regularly to share resources, and at one point, we did a group exhibition at Guy Corry’s photo studio on Castro. “A Response To Anita... Thru Our Eyes” Our goals were to raise money to defeat AnitaBryant’s anti-gay referendum in Dade County, Florida, but also to show how our community lived our lives... the journalistic lessons of the counter-culture during the 1960s inspired us. Our times were ebullient; we were lucky to be in the heart of it. We understood instinctively that these moments would serve as a beacon of hope for the future of the LGBT civil rights movement.
The camaraderie between photographers during a parade was lovely. Upon spotting each other, a quick hug would often be exchanged, and then our attention would turn to life’s rich pageant unfolding before us. There were no metal street barricades in the early years; it was pretty loose. For example, the first few Pride parades in SF convened in Golden Gate Park and then resembled more of a laconic picnic than a rally.
Crawford died of AIDS on June 17, 1993. I will miss seeing him out there. He and the other photographers we knew and loved (many are gone but not forgotten) left a great impression on the importance of camaraderie, and I try to infuse that positivity into how I work today.
We held Crawford’s wake at my photo studio on June 19, 1993.Crawford and I had been hanging out more in the 90s than in the 1970s; he even photographed me in my photo studio in the 90s, which was a great honor.
Thankfully, the GLBT Historical Society is carrying the torch of increasing the visibility of Crawford’s great work. Crawford and all the many people who supported him in his lifetime would be pleased and grateful that his vision continues. I sure am.
For more info about Dan Nicoletta: https://www.dannynicoletta.com
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