How Peter Rose, “Seeks the good light”

Today’s blog is a Q&A with Peter Rose, a Vermont based photographer. Peter’s name might sound familiar for those of you who follow my blog since Peter won the best Abstract/Object photo in November’s black and white competition. I first got the idea of featuring fellow photographers after Peter and I exchanged a few emails after the contest.   Peter is a very talented photographer  and a down right nice guy.  I hope you find his story every bit as interesting has his work.

Batdorff Photography:  How did you get started in photography?

Peter:  My father started me in photography when I was about 10 years old.  He was an avid amateur photographer, focusing mainly on nature photography and landscapes.  He brought me along to a local camera club, and encouraged me to enter a few images and ended up scoring a few honorable mentions in local and regional competitions.   I continued to shoot through college, mostly in B&W, taking photography courses and spending countless hours both shooting and in the darkroom. I put photography on the shelf until about six years ago, when I started shooting digital on a small Canon Elph P&S.  In 2005 I bought a Nikon D70 DSLR in preparation for a trip to Yosemite and I fell in love again with photography.  Over the past four years, I have upgraded equipment (currently shooting a D300) and have upgraded my lenses and other gear as well.

I currently try to shoot every day.  It is all about practice, and the act of seeking out the light and finding how it interacts with the subject is what I continue to work on.  I would consider myself an avid amateur photographer, trying to deliver professional quality.

Batdorff Photography: Do you shoot digital or film?  And….why?

Peter: I shoot exclusively digital.  I find that digital allows me to practice composition and visualization of light more than with film.  I t provides immediate feedback so I can make corrections on the fly.  But more importantly, digital provides me the ability to post process my images myself directly to create the look I want in a more complete way.  I use Adobe CS4 and several other add on packages including Topaz Adjust, Noise Ninja, and Photomatix Pro.

Batdorff Photography: What’s the number one thing you look for in a good photo?

Peter: For me, a good photo is all about the light.  The light interacting with the subject, focusing our attention on the story being told, driving our imagination, creating energy and life.  Those are the ones that inspire me to find the good light.

Batdorff Photography: If you hit a creative roadblock what do you do to break through?

Peter: I have found that giving myself assignments provides a great opportunity to break from roadblocks.  These assignments might be technical in nature such as shooting macro of the same object or shooting landscapes in a specific location from various perspectives and at different times of day.  Or it might be a more theme based assignment, such as picking a color and shooting all things that I see or finding a goal such as shooting the alphabet from natural shapes. If I run out of ideas, I also have a group of photographers I communicate with on a regular basis, and if I am ‘stuck’ I seek out ideas from them to drive me to shoot.  Since I am mostly an amateur photographer, I shoot to explore to experiment.  This provides me a bit more freedom when the ‘roadblock’ hits and I am not forced to shoot.

Batdorff Photography: Any words of wisdom?

Peter: I have found that finding a community of photographers that you trust is a key step in moving forward and growing.  I have been fortunate to be surrounded by some great people that provide excellent and HONEST feedback and critique.  This has made me more honest with my own work, realizing where I need to work, challenging me to reach deeper for more creativity and better technical excellence.

Batdorff Photography: What’s your favorite piece of equipment?

Peter: My favorite piece of equipment is my Nikkor 105mm AI-S 2.5 Manual Focus lens.  That little lens from the 1970s is crazy sharp and really has such good contrast.  Many of my most favorite images have been taken with this lens.  In addition to the quality, it was one of the lenses my father gave to me the summer before he passed away.  I can almost hear him whisper in my ear when I focus it.

Batdorff Photography: What’s something or someplace that you’ve never photographed, but one day hope to?

Peter: I would love to spend some serious time in Yellowstone and the Canadian Rockies.  My folks took the family out there when I was a kid, but I would love to be able to spend time during the fall, capturing the colors and the first snows.

Batdorff Photography: Your favorite moment in your photographic career.

Peter: As an avid amateur, I would say that getting my first cover on a recent “Vermont Magazine” was one of my highlights so far.  I generally shoot for myself, my family, and my friends, so to have my work chosen for a publication was a thrill.  It has actually inspired me to seek out a more active photographic journey, seeking out work in the field.

Batdorff Photography: Any current-day photographers that inspire you?

Peter: There are many current photographers that currently inspire me.  Some of them I compete against in online photography challenges, others I admire for their dedication and consistent excellence in ‘telling the story’.  These include Peter Miller for his realism and poignant depiction of Vermont , David Muench for his beautiful and expansive view of landscape, Lárus Sigurðarson from Iceland for his inventive style in both portraits and landscapes, and Ursula Abresch from British Columbia for her outstanding impressionist approach.

Batdorff Photography: If you had to describe your photography in one word or phrase, what would it be?

Peter: Seeking the good light

Thanks Peter for such a wonderful interview and please check out his website at    http://rosephoto.smugmug.com/

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, December 29th, 2009 at 7:00 am. It is filed under General, Photographers and tagged with interview, peter rose, Photographers. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.