Today we’d like to introduce you to Chris Peters.
Chris, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I started my photography journey through television news in Toledo, Ohio. As a photojournalist, the primary objective is to tell a visual story. The best way to tell the story is to highlight the details, which in most cases, gives viewers the ability to feel the texture of a story. Maybe it’s the burnt door from a house fire or seeing the reflections of the police lights on the face of a bystander on a crime scene. Lighting, whether it’s generated from the natural surroundings or added by myself, allows me to enhance the mood or theme the imagery I produce. Everything I’ve learned as a videographer helped me transition the knowledge I gained from video to still photography.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Every success story has a foundation of struggle. My struggles came from learning on the fly through trial and error. Knowing the angles or framing to posing certain body shapes, these are things that matter in portraits. It was hard taking some concepts and applying it to every situation because every project is different from the others. My advice for any photographer is to treat every shoot as its own and don’t take the ideas from past projects to the next shoot. Each shoot is magical, its inspirational. Each photoshoot is essentially the client’s first impression, your imagery should make their first impression the right one.
What do you do, what do you specialize in, what are you known for, etc. What are you most proud of? What sets you apart from others?
I consider myself as a visual storyteller. The common name for what I do is a photographer. My specialty is editorial, off-camera lighting. Each click of the camera, I’m adding a light source to blend in with the surroundings with the subject. My peers know me as the “Black Scorsese” because motion picture Director Martin Scorsese is known for lighting. All of his films have a unique detail for certain lighting techniques to bring out the emotion or complexity of a character. I’ve been described to have that ability. Though I’m inspired by Martin Scorsese, I pride myself on having the best lighting amongst my peers with the goal of showing more in my imagery.
So much of the media coverage is focused on the challenges facing women today, but what about the opportunities? Do you feel there are any opportunities that women are particularly well-positioned for?
Coming from a hardworking family, I’ve been raised to understand challenges are just another form of opportunity. The obstacles throughout the journey as a professional, I’m some cases, is the foundation of the success story. I’ve always been the one who embraces the challenges because getting through them makes me the best candidate to be the one who earns the opportunity. The challenges let me know what areas I need to improve during my grind. Maybe I need to become more available, educate myself more on a particular skill, etc. In this business, having the ability to adjust makes you more and more valuable.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.chrispetersmedia.com
- Email: chrispetersmedia@gmail.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/chrispetersmedia
Image Credit:
Chris Peters – Chris Peters Media
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