Today we’d like to introduce you to Jennifer Cawley.
Hi Jennifer, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I grew up in a pet shop on Clark Street in Chicago, surrounded by the chaos and charm of animals and animal lovers. My love for photography began in my aunt Donna’s darkroom, where I spent hours as a child mesmerized by the magic of images slowly appearing on paper. Even then, I knew I wanted to create pictures out of poison.
I went on to study photography at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. At 21, I moved to London to begin my career as a portrait photographer. Over the years, my work appeared in publications such as Cosmopolitan, The Sunday Times Magazine, Vanity Fair, Elle, Hello, You Magazine, Living Etc, Loaded, and many more.
I married a British designer, and together we had two beautiful children. After nearly two decades of life and photography in London, we relocated to the sun soaked beaches of Southern California. These days, I shoot less in studios and more outdoors, on beaches, in the ocean, or on a paddle board.
In 2020, I was honored with the Gold Medal for Travel Portraits by the North American Travel Journalists Association, for a portrait of Laird Hamilton published in American Way Magazine. In 2022, I received another Gold Medal for a mental health awareness campaign I co-created with NAMI Westside Los Angeles, titled Free Your Me, 100 portraits of well-known individuals captured mid-primal scream in support of mental health.
Photography eventually led me to filmmaking. In 2024, I received the “Best First-Time Female Director” award for my short film Dawn Ready, starring Laird Hamilton.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I seem to subconsciously choose the hard road. It’s usually the more exciting one. Moving to London in my early twenties was scary, so far from my family and friends back in Chicago. I entered a career that, at the time in the early ’90s, was not very welcoming to female photographers. Even as a photographic assistant, I had to be physically stronger than the other assistants to get the work. Assisting is essentially a lot of carrying very heavy equipment.
Relocating to Los Angeles also wasn’t easy. I left behind my work connections and reputation, and had to essentially start from scratch to build a new network and name for myself in California. The whole working structure is different here for photographers. I had to learn the new rules the hard way, through trial and error.
There’s also every photographer’s dilemma: feast or famine. Big jobs do seem to come all at once. You have to learn to let things go, and also not panic when there’s a slow patch. This uncertainty is not for the faint of heart.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am a photographer and filmmaker. I love shooting people. I love the entire process. Coming up with the look of a shoot, planning where, when, and how it will happen, and then bringing the concept to life. It’s really all about storytelling. Sometimes I’m creating the story myself, and sometimes I’m helping people tell their own story.
Whether it’s for a film, a video, or a series of still photographs, there’s always a story to be told.
One project I’m especially proud of is my mental health awareness campaign, shot in partnership with NAMI Westside Los Angeles: “Free Your Me.” 100 portraits of well-known personalities captured mid–primal scream in support of mental health. https://www.jennifercawley.com/free-your-me
It was an honor to work with NAMI, and incredibly rewarding to be part of something that genuinely helped people.
I think what sets me apart is my ability to make people feel comfortable. Many arrive at my shoots feeling nervous about how they’ll look, but they leave having had a lot of fun. Whether I am shooting a celebrity or just head shots for someone just starting out, I want it to be an enjoyable experience for both of us.
Before we go, is there anything else you can share with us?
I would love for your readers to check out my short film “Dawn Ready” which intertwines the extraordinary worlds of two modern-day heroes and explores the parallels in their relentless focus on pushing the boundaries of their careers and training. Big wave surfer Laird Hamilton (www.lairdhamilton.com) and military jet fighter pilot Daniel Robinson (www.red6ar.com) are both on a mission to continually revolutionize their equipment and the level of readiness required to achieve their goals.
This is a story of new friendship and trust, marked by unique exchanges about their views on life, their processes, and their unstoppable drive to keep going. The film offers a thrilling and intimate glimpse into what it takes to be “Ready on Go Day.”
I was lucky enough to collaborate with renowned Austrian composer Walter Mair (www.waltermair.com), whose score captures both the intensity of their conversations and the rising momentum of the story, all the way to its emotional crescendo.
From start to finish, this was the most challenging and rewarding creative process I’ve ever experienced. I was even forced to go up in a two-person Berkut training plane to film some scenes, an experience that, unexpectedly, cured my long-time fear of flying.
Link to film: https://vimeo.com/1094123834?autoplay=1&muted=1&stream_id=Y2xpcHN8MjI3NTM0Mzc4fGlkOmRlc2N8W10%3D
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.jennifercawley.com
- Instagram: @jennifercawleyphotographs
- LinkedIn: @jennifercawleyphotographs
- Other: https://www.twofeetsouth.com
Image Credits
@JenniferCawleyPhotographs
www.jennifercawley.com
