Lindsey! So happy to have your work up at the shop. I feel like we discussed this opportunity a good time ago and here we are. How do you feel sharing a bit of yourself at the shop through your photography?

I am so happy to have my work up at Local! I remember reaching out last year and you telling me that the next available time would be Fall 2021 and it felt like it was going to be forever away but now we are finally here and it feels great. It truly feels amazing to have something that I created displayed and shared with your shop. When I have walked into Local to grab a coffee, I have seen so many beautiful artists' work hung up on that wall and it feels really cool to have that be me for this month. Photography has been such an outlet for me and I love telling stories or evoking emotion through my photographs so I am really excited to have some of those be shown to the local community.

Tell us a bit about these photographs. When, Where and Why?

These photos are from a few different places but mostly the timeframe is between fall and early wintertime. The first section of my photos are some of my favorite fall photos from local spots around New Jersey. Fall is my absolute favorite time of the year. I love to watch the leaves change and the world around us come to life with color. It is truly so beautiful and I love to capture this time of year through my lens. Most of the fall photos displayed are from Verona Park and South Mountain Reservation. The second section is more of my travel photos from both Scotland and Canada. I went to Scotland a few years ago with some friends and was so taken aback by it’s beauty that I literally had my camera in my hand every second I could. And it was the same in Banff, Canada. That place was truly special, there were mountains everywhere I looked and it really took my breath away. The third section is a combination of both travel but also adding in some more colorful lighting. A theme that I wanted to show through this display was not only the travel/landscape side, but also in a few of my photos I love to capture reflections. Especially with the changing of the seasons, I tend to do a lot of reflecting on where I have been, what I have seen and where I want to continue to go. These photos remind me how grateful I am to have stood where I have but also tells me how much more there is to see.

I ask this question of most of our photographers - how do you feel about the discipline now that we all have a camera in our pocket and take a gazillion pictures each day vs. purposely setting out to capture some specific image or topic?

It is really interesting how easy it is for people to just whip out their phones and take a picture of literally anything at any time. There are times I find myself reaching for my phone just to take a quick snapshot of the sky that looks cool and I usually kick myself for not having my real camera to get a better shot. It is crazy how well iPhones and smartphones can take a photo, sometimes it is hard to tell the difference between a real camera and a phone which to be honest makes me a little sad because I just love digital and film cameras so much. But I definitely still set time aside to go out with my camera, to go to different places with the purpose of getting some good shots of either something particular or just walking around a certain area for a few hours and seeing what I can find.

Before the pandemic, one of my favorite things was going into NYC and just walking all around Central Park, down to Bryant Park, and through the Flatiron district with my camera at my eyes the whole time, taking it all in and clicking away. I loved that, going in at different seasons and seeing the city change through my lens was so cool.

The composition on these images are really special. How do you set out to frame your photos? Do you perform a good amount of editing post capture?

I try not to edit my photos too much, I try to capture them in a way that shows what I am trying to tell. I always want to show a real version of what I see when I put the camera back down. However, there are some that I have edited a bit darker or to have more of a “moody” effect which I have been loving. I love to get a different shot, something more unique that I feel is my own. When I am out shooting, I try to look at things more artistically and see how I can capture the scene in a way that people may not always see when they first look out, but also something that draws people in. It is a little hard to explain but I am always trying to get that unique shot, through the trees or by getting down on my knees from a different angle. I love to still show the beauty that I see but maybe in a way that is original, if that makes sense.

These images represent a good amount of travel. Was there one place that stood out where you felt super-connected to the environment?

I think one of my favorite places that I traveled to was Scotland, where a few of these photos are from. It was such a breathtaking and amazing place to be and I feel so grateful that I was able to see it in person. I spent a few days in the city of Edinburgh but the majority of the trip was exploring the Highlands and smaller country towns of Scotland. It was really so cool to see the landscapes of this beautiful place and the wildlife. I was able to see horses on the farms we passed by and the infamous highland cows. The highland cows are gorgeous and during the trip we actually pulled over on the side of the road where we saw some eating some grass and just watched them. One of my favorite things about traveling is to be fully immersed in the culture and environment of where I am, and it was so easy to do in Scotland, with it’s stunning landscape, friendly people, and unique wildlife. I definitely plan to go back there.

What camera/ cameras do you use in your discipline?

I use a Canon Rebel T6s. I got it for Christmas a few years ago and it truly has changed my life.

What's your favorite coffee or tea beverage?

Oh my favorite question! To be honest, it does change with the weather and when I am looking for something warm, I always go with a mocha latte with oat milk but if it is a nice summer day I am for sure grabbing a cold brew with oat milk :)

See more of Lindsey’s work here

Thanks so much for sharing your work @ Local! Initial response has been overwhelmingly positive. Tell us about these images, how and when did you decide to start chronicling your trips abroad.

Thank you for giving me the platform to share the work. You do the community a great service by giving back and offering artists like me these opportunities.

I've always chronicled my trips but have leveraged different mediums to do so. I used to love to write in journals and then with the advent of social media it became easier to both catalog and chronicle my life in varied ways. In terms of photography, I first discovered my passion for architecture when I was standing outside of the Louvre in Paris, admiring the perfect symmetry of the corridor of archways that run along the courtyard. I knew then that I had a passion for symmetry, diversity of textures and light, playing together. Later in life as I educated myself more on the plight of animals and the natural world in general, I decided to experiment with wildlife photography. What you see in Local today is actually my first attempt at it.

Photography is a passion project for you, yes? At what point in your life did you take that next step to learn more about the discipline so that you would be able to articulate the journey?

Yes it is. I actually took a photography course in college, back when we had to develop our own film and I remember the professor telling me that there were two things that she observed had come naturally for me: composition and use of light. From there it's been a journey that has paralleled the development of technology from digital point-and-shoot to eventually digital SLR cameras and even the iPhone with it's incredible capability. About 6 years ago my fiance gave me my first true digital SLR camera and encouraged me to take some more courses, which I did. I'm so appreciative that he helped resurface this passion of mine.

Lot's of animal photos which are remarkable in that there are some really visually stunning images. What did you aim to capture in these photos?

I hoped to capture their spirit, in a moment. In my online shop I tend to refer to a lot of these portraits as "Faces of God". And to the extent I believe that god and Mother Nature are one in the same, their faces are the faces of god to me. Personally, I'm an empath. I feel strong connection to animals. It's palpable for me. So when many of them seemingly posed for me, I took the shots in hopes of capturing the moment when I felt they were letting me see their souls. I feel a great deal of frustration at our disconnectedness with nature. I don't think people realize how quickly habitat is disappearing and how truly endangered so many of these beautiful creatures are. I think they're a big part of what makes this earth remarkable and it's our loss to not know them and protect them, as fellow life forms.

What type of camera(s) are in your arsenal?

I shoot with a Nikon 7500. It was important for me to be able to capture photos in very high resolution because I knew that I would want to see these photos enlarged and with the fine detail reflected. I think too often we look at photos on small screens which doesn't allow us the same kind of captivation that I think a physical image does, at scale. To the question just before this, notably with the animal shots, my hope was that I could show these shots in an imposing way.

How, why and when do you decide on specific destinations?

I've always been an explorer. As a kid, I wished I could go to space. And then I actually signed up for the Air Force (later discharged under "Don't Ask, Don't Tell") because I wanted to experience and gain perspective in a way a lot of people aren't able to. When those things didn't pan out for me the next best was exploring our own world and going to places off the beaten path while still admiring many of the places that are on those paths for a reason. These days I look for those dream locations, which for me have: history, beautiful architecture, unique geology and wildlife.

You mentioned the Game Of Thrones photograph and I had to embarrassingly mention that I didn't watch the series. What stood out to you in visiting the location vs. what you viewed in the show?

Well, firstly -- you're not alone. Not everyone is a fan of my second favorite TV show of all time. Ha! Well, what I loved was how much of the actual places they used to film the show exist in reality. You can be there and walk the streets and feel it. Sure, the actual city is about 25% the scale of what's portrayed in the show. And there are no castles reaching to the sky or dragons to burn them down. But the beauty is consistent and in some ways so is it's history. Something I found shocking was that as recently as the 1990s this city was nearly leveled by war. That made me sad and angry and was some of the inspiration for me to decide to donate proceeds from the sale of these images to UNESCO's World Heritage Sites program. But seriously, you have to watch the show.

Is there a destination that you have been wanting to visit that you have already made some plans in your mind for what to capture?

The top of my list is Antarctica, and especially an expedition to see the Emperor Penguin colonies which aren't reachable by many of the major charter companies. That's my unfulfilled dream. But there are also some really significant countries where I would like to spend some time; notably Japan and India. I think my portfolio, and in fact my heart, also crave exploring the Middle East and capturing some of the amazing culture, stunning architecture and unique wildlife. There's a lot to be told -- and I'd argue desperately needs to be told, about that part of the world. And if I can contribute in some way, I'd love to.

What is your favorite coffee or tea beverage?

An oat or soy milk latte with cinnamon, turmeric and a bit of cayenne .

More about Peter here