Photographer Spotlight Peter Italiano

When did you know the photography/video industry was for you?

In High School, I began shooting rock concerts and got totally hooked. I later got involved working in the studio and moved into fashion. I guess my first real job was in the late seventies, shooting a monthly fashion editorial for The Aquarian Magazine and later working with Elite Models.

How did you get your current position?

Oddly enough my schooling and training came later on, I’m a big time do it yourselfer and a firm believer in learning by doing. I learned to do alot on my own, and got some really good results, I later began taking photography courses ay NYU and ICP and actually found out all of the things I was doing wrong, and it just opened up a whole new world for me.

What was the greatest obstacle you had to overcome in pursuing your career?

Breaking in to fashion world, although I did get work, I never felt that I totally accomplished what I set out to do in this genre.

Who would you name as the most influential person in shaping your career?Why?

I guess there are 3 photographers that I would put in the influence category and that would be Richard Avedon, Irving Penn and Helmut Newton. These three guys were the big guns when I was getting started, and I admire them  each for different reasons. Avedon for his portrait work, even though you would find his editorial work in every fashion mag every month, his portraits did it for me. Penn I would say got me to appreciate how to make simple objects become works of art. His product work really got me to where I am today. And Newton, just his bold and stylish images resound in me and I often find myself looking at his work and just being amazed by the form and lines he creates in his subjects.

If you could be compensated for your work with something other than money, what would it be?

I would just love to constantly create, unfortunately we all have to pay the bills which leaves very little time to spend taking ideas and doing the production work to bring them to life. On the other hand I’m still doing what I love to do and that kinda makes up for it.