About Peter
Thanks for visiting and taking the time to comment. I feel I should explain my policy about comments you leave. I will edit your comments to remove typos and some grammatical errors without changing the “spirit” of your comments.
I would hope someone do the same for me. Sometimes we get so carried away by what we want to say, we don’t proof-read before we hit the “submit” button.
If I feel your comments are out of line because of your choice of language, they’ll be removed. That doesn’t mean I won’t allow dissenting opinions. It’s all in how you say it.
And one more thing… from time to time you might find an ad which is objectionable on the right sidebar. I make a concerted effort to monitor the kinds of ads. If one or two creeps in, I apologize.
With that said…
I haven’t been using a computer, specifically a Mac, for very long. I bought a G3 powerbook back in 2000. As one of the first staff photographers to shoot with a digital SLR at the newspaper I worked for, I had to jump in not knowing anything at all about Photoshop.
I wasn’t supplied any books or manuals, just the ones for the camera. It’s a wonder how I managed to even get pictures in the paper everyday back then. Nor was I given any time off to take any classes.
There was no re-training whatsoever. Typical of many newspapers, the higher-ups didn’t see the point in spending money like that.
It didn’t matter that most of my fellow photographers had no idea what photoshop was. Somehow we survived the transition from film to digital.
Needless to say, I ruined many an image because I didn’t know better.
In the meantime, the newspaper was sold to a Texas corporation, Belo.
The explosion of the internet, subsequent loss of advertising revenue, but mostly terrible management made working conditions at the paper downright bad.
On a shoestring budget, I bought a G4 1.25 GHz dual processor PowerMac, bought books spent lots of time online, got involved with the local Mac user group and the result is my website.
Just about all the content you see on this site from videography, editing, compression, smattering of flash and of course the photography is mine.
Today, I freelance, shooting various events, a few weddings a year, and I also create portraits on location. I also teach photography part-time at Riverside Community College.
I’ve even been featured on tv by the local San Bernardino PBS station KVCR. This first piece was on a 97-year-old local community activist Eddie Dee Smith. Eddie Dee Smith tribute on KVCR
The second occasion was for a workshop called “Pose, Spot, Pose.” Hosted by UC Riverside’s California Museum of Photography, my good friends Carlos Puma and John Welsh, organized a seminar on how to photograph pets.
Carlos, also a professional photographer, and I showed kids how to handle digital cameras while John, public information officer for Riverside County Animal Services, provided the animals.
Feel free to comment or say hello. Thanks for visiting my blog and website.
July 20th, 2008 at 11:38 am
Nice video on teaching kids how to photograph pets. That’s a heartwarming piece.
Congrats!
Rigo
July 20th, 2008 at 6:35 pm
The project showed me why I became interested in journalism in the first place. Telling stories. Ones that might make a difference.
It’s a shame I didn’t reconnect with Eddie Dee earlier. When I worked at the paper, they discouraged any type of association with non-profit agencies. Some bs about conflict of interest as usual.
It was all in the timing. After I had left the paper, she wasn’t as active due to her advanced age.
But she still showed me that age is no barrier. Even education is no barrier.
I donated all the video footage I shot to the Visionary committee named after her. Interested folks can visit this link.
Carlos Puma and John Welsh had the original idea with the Pet Photography project.
So I can’t claim all the credit. My part in it was involving Reggie Woolery, Educator from UC Riverside’s California Museum of Photography.
October 30th, 2008 at 10:26 pm
Jessica