Today was a lucky day for me in more ways than one! The biggest reason was that I got to spend a major portion of my day listening to one of the rock stars of my world speak about creativity, Bryan Peterson:
Bryan is an internationally known photographer, the author of at least seven books, the founder of the Bryan Peterson School of Photography and a very entertaining guy! He is quite animated (as you might guess from the above photo) and very humorous. His presentation was peppered with puns, personal stories and quick one-liners. When he asked if anyone in the room was making money selling stock, I cautiously raised my hand and then indicated “a little bit” with my fingers. He responded with “The way to really make money in stock today is to sell your camera.” A joke I can agree with recently.
All kidding aside, Bryan’s presentation was very valuable. I sometimes feel I struggle with the creativity aspect of photography more than the technical and Bryan is the kind of guy who can make an interesting photo anywhere. He uses inexpensive materials such as colorful fabrics to make backgrounds on location portraits and found objects in junk yards or along the street to create the most interesting abstract art. He stressed the importance of patience in waiting for elements needed to create an image to align and working the subject completely. If you ever get chance to hear him speak in person or attend one of his workshops, I highly recommend it. If you can’t make it in person, you can watch Bryan in action on Adorama Learning Center’s series “You Keep Shooting” on YouTube.
Bryan’s portfolio site can be viewed here: http://www.bryanfpeterson.com/
Today’s seminar was put on by the Creative Photography Society. It was the first of their functions I had attended, but I’m sure it won’t be my last. If you live in the Baltimore/Washington D.C. area you should check them out!
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