so happy to have around
we'd like to introduce you to our second judge, an awesome photographer out of new zealand, who specializes in child, family and commercial photography -- peta mazey.
we've had the opportunity to know and shoot with peta and one of the things we so love about peta is her ability to capture her subjects' connections with one another, while making it look so effortless. her style is so happy and fun, with an incredible sense of composition, storytelling and processing.
we can honestly say that peta is as wonderful of a person as she is a photographer.
we asked peta...
what inspires you in photography?
Happy, loving people. I love when people can be open with me and my camera and have fun. This is secondary, but great style also really inspires me when I am shooting, and by that I don't necessarily mean what's in fashion, or what costs a lot of money, I love style that has some quirkiness and individuality.
who is your all-time favorite photographer and what draws you to their work?
I don't really have one favourite. Of course I find all the 'greats' inspiring - Arbus, Leibovitz, etc. Some photographers that I go back to often are Stephanie Rausser, Julie Blackmon and Aaron Ruell. quirk + storytelling + style is the magic equation for me.
we talk about the roller coaster ride in this photography journey, aka funks. is there anything you do to get through the more challenging times?
Shoot more! I think most of the time when I get in a funk it's when I'm not shooting enough. changing things up a bit (a change of subject, location, perspective etc) can make a world of difference.
any advice you would like to share with those just starting out in this business?
Get an idea of what your style IS and how you love to shoot, then do what you love and stay true to your style and you will find the experience so much more enjoyable. Also be sure you can deal with the business end of things, some of it is fun, a lot of it is BORING and highly time consuming (eg. accounts, insurance, business laws etc). If that is not your strength it is helpful to have people behind you to work with you on that stuff.
where do you see you and your photography being in five years?
I try not to predict where I will be because the universe has a way of laughing at plans! Hopefully I will be happy wherever I am in life and whatever I am doing... As far as my photography, I hope I will be better and continuing to explore and grow. There is so much to learn and so much to try! I would love to try some colour film. yum. I would also love to be doing more editorial/commercial work at that point.
can you please share with us a few of your favorite photographs?
i'm not very good at choosing my favourites, but here are a few that put their hands up tonight. tomorrow might be a different story :)
Friday, May 21, 2010 at 08:25AM
Reader Comments (5)
Such an inspiring girl that Peta. Just love her, her art and her passion for that art! Can't wait to see where else this journey will take her. Thanks for sharing, P.
Lovely!
aww, thank you for the kind words! I adore you both! I am excited to be a part of this!!
Thank you for this! Love Peta's work!! She is a favorite!!
peta's work is incredible. she has a special way of capturing the essence of childhood. love the color and LIFE in her work.