Meet Peter Essick | Photographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Peter Essick and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Peter, why did you pursue a creative career?
I took a photography class in high school and from the start I knew that was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life, even though I had no idea of how to make a living in photography. I ended up getting an undergraduate degree in business from the University of Southern California. My first job out of school was in the accounting department at Capitol Records. I lasted there less than a year before I quit to pursue a career in photography. I did it because I was very unhappy working in a traditional business environment. So it came down to me wanting to follow my passion by any means to work in a creative field as a photographer.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
For many years I have been a working photographer with a specialty in environmental and nature themes. It started when I got an assignment from National Geographic Magazine to do a story on Freshwater. My father was a science teacher and liked the outdoors, so I was exposed to hiking, skiing and river rafting during my childhood. This made it possible for me understand many of the issues related to nature and to know how to travel to remote areas. However, it was never easy to do a successful photo essay. I learned that if something was easy it probably had already been done and if you wanted to do work that was above and beyond the normal it took a lot of hard work, some talent and sometimes a little luck. I have tried to document the both the pristine and the human altered landscape that we live in.

Recently, I have been using a drone to do most of my photography. I did a four year project to photograph construction sites in Atlanta from the drone perspective.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
My favorite places in Georgia are Cumberland Island and the Okefenokee Swamp. I have been there many times as a photo workshop instructor. I love hanging out in St. Mary’s and then taking the boat trip to Cumberland Island. If I had the time I would spend several days camping there. I would like to also spend a few days in the Okefenokee Swamp in a kayak.

One of my favorite places in Atlanta is the Goat Farm. Fall Line Press, publisher of my book, Work in Progress, has an office at the Goat Farm. The new Goat Farm is a great location for artists and will be even better when the new MOCA GA museum is completed on the property.

Another favorite location in Atlanta is Fernbank Forest. I spent two years working on a photo story about this 65 acre old growth urban forest. It is unique to have such a beautiful forest right in downtown Atlanta.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My first mentor was an architectural photographer named Glen Allison. I worked for him as a photographer’s assistant and he helped me learn about how to make a living as a photographer. My big break came when I was chosen to be a summer intern at National Geographic Magazine. This was a life changing event as the internship led to a 30 year career working on photographic articles for the magazine.

Website: Peter@PeterEssick.com

Instagram: @essickpeter

Facebook: https://facebook.com/petersx

Image Credits
All images @Peter Essick