Nick Crawley was born in Yorkshire, the son of a British Army Colonel. His father, Douglas, served with the Lloyals Parachute Regiment during World War II. He saw action in North Africa, Sicily, Italy and at Arnhem where he was taken prisoner by the Germans after being wounded on the bridgehead. Nick's mother, Doreen, came over from Canada during WWII to help with the war effort.

Nick travelled to many parts of the world with his parents, brother Shaun and sister Carolyn. On his father's posting to Malaya in the late 50s the picture above, his favourite, was taken on the air field at Ipoh. He first flew a De Havilland Chipmunk single engined aircraft at the age of 14 during his cadet force training while at school in Blackpool, Lancashire. Despite potential bribery from his mother, Nick completed his first parachute jump in 1986 and now flies a powered parachute in the UAE. He studied at York College of Art & Design to become an accomplished graphic designer and photographer. After graduating he moved to London, eventually setting up his own business before gravitating to the Middle East. His two daughters, Lucy and Sally, who spent a year in the UAE, are now at school in York.

Nick is the Design Director of Zodiac Publishing and is currently expanding his photographic capabilities underwater, where he is a qualified scuba diver, and in the air, where he is also learning to fly hot air balloons. He is currently working on two further books, Now & Then - Malta and Now & Then - Egypt.