Columbus Washington "C. W." Motes (1837-1919) was born in Perry, Alabama, to Anderson Motes (1798-1845) and Pernice Adair (1812-1953). In 1861, he enlisted in the Confederate States Army and served during the American Civil War as a sergeant, and later, a first lieutenant, in the Troup County Artillery. Motes was wounded during the Battle of Antietam near Sharpsburg, Maryland, in 1862. In 1863, he fought at the Battle of Gettysburg. He married Emily F. White (1843-1897) on June 14, 1866, in Athens, Georgia. They had two daughters: Mary Motes Delbridge (1867-1927) and Eva Motes (1879-1917).

Motes opened a photography gallery on Broad Street in Athens, Georgia during the 1860s. He moved to Atlanta, Georgia in 1871 where he opened another photography gallery on Whitehall Street in Atlanta, which he operated for over 25 years. Motes won several photography awards including a $100 award from the Photographic Association of America in 1884, first prize at the 1898 National Photographic Convention, and a gold medal and diploma of honor awarded by the Cotton States and International Exposition in 1898. Motes retired in 1899 after selling his share in his photography gallery to his business partner, B. Frank Moore. Motes, along with his wife and children, are buried at Oakland Cemetery in Atlanta, Georgia.