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Luca J Peterson
@lucapeterson
Visual creator based in the UK
At school and even just after I left school I had no interest in photography or filmmaking. Or at least I didn’t think I did, mainly because I had never tried it. I was never interested in cameras or anything and I was working toward a career in finance. I got a job in the financial services industry, worked for some time, and then swiftly found out it wasn’t for me. I have always been creative in other fields than photography, but felt like by working in finance I wasn’t channeling that creativity into anywhere.
"This was eating me up every day and began to become a bigger “thing” over time."
One night when I was returning home from my job in finance, I was so incredibly bored and was browsing YouTube to find something to watch. When doing so a video by Canadian photographer and filmmaker, Peter McKinnon was for whatever reason recommended to me (After Effects Basics, to be precise) – I clicked on it only because the thumbnail looked cool and from watching that video I was absolutely blown away that you could do these things on your laptop! I was instantly hooked, started binge-watching all his and many others’ videos, got myself a camera (Canon 700D), and just went out and practiced all the time.
"I knew instantly that this was what I wanted to pursue, it was like finding what I was meant to do."
Now I like to look at it as an ever-evolving process of getting better and better at these crafts. Photography and filmmaking quickly became my life. It is what I think about, focus on, and pursue every single day. It is a good feeling to have found that thing that I want to focus on in life. It is like I have found my purpose.
Just like I was, I imagine there will be many people out there who don’t know that photography and filmmaking could be their passion, and they might just stumble upon it some time soon! I like to think back to when I stumbled on that video by Peter Mckinnon, how much value it provided for me and quite literally helped me get started on my life career. If I could continue that and pass that onto someone else, then that makes me very happy. So to continue this and help others is a main focus and passion of mine. I’d like to inspire the creativity of imagination and teach people the skills they need to advance in photography and visual art. I love teaching others and sharing my knowledge that I have picked up and learned.
"I am so grateful for all the people I learned from, and now I want to teach people so they can learn how to use the tools that allow them to express their art in whatever way they want."
Since the beginning of 2020 I decided to begin posting properly on TikTok as a tool for me to share, teach, and inspire. I started out with just a few videos on camera basics and I wasn’t expecting to do that well whatsoever, I just thought some people might find them useful. Then when I checked my phone in the morning the first video had hundreds of thousands of views, so I continued posting and my account continued to grow! This had a huge effect on my career for me because it has allowed me to partner with some amazing brands and also brought forward the opportunity to work with TikTok directly which has been an amazing experience. Also through TikTok, I have been fortunate to be able to meet and connect with so many amazing people!
I love TikTok as a platform because it is so fast paced, entertaining and really engaging. I think the thing that helped me grow my account is focussing on how I can provide value for my audience in really short clips. What could I help them learn, how could I make something that sounds complicated sound simple and mainly to have fun on it! I love interacting and talking to people in the filmmaking and photography community every day. Whether it is in the video/photo comments, DMs, or on Lives. It really feels like an awesome community of people that are becoming more and more close-knit each day.
"We have a great community which you will really see if you join in on one of our daily Lives on TikTok!"
Photography and filmmaking is my life, it is no longer just a hobby on the side; it is what I do full time, all the time! I have many ideas and different things, stories, concepts that I want to create, a lot of them will be further down the line because I am simply not at the stage to do them yet. But that is the fun thing about this career, it is always evolving, I look back on work from a few months ago and already know I can do better. I think like any industry, you could look at it as competitive, but I really don’t see it like that, I believe there is abundance for all those who are truly passionate about what they do and there are plenty of opportunities to go around.
There are many exciting things I am looking forward to launching, from exciting collaborations, launching my company and cool projects on YouTube and TikTok. At the same time, I like to keep things close to me, focus on today and on what to create next. Especially when I am photographing and editing, I like to immerse myself in the moment itself and look at a photo and think, what is the main feeling I want to express with this photo? And, what do I want the viewer to see first?
For me editing a photo is a big part of the art and that nearly always includes using Photoshop, whether it’s just to tidy the image up or to make monumental changes to the photo and completely restructure it. Photoshop is by far one of the best editing software out there and I highly recommend any photographer learn it. I also like to think about how I can make an image even better.
"So I will often edit the photo, then take a break and come back to it with new ideas."
I also have many projects and ideas in mind for when we can travel again. Early 2020 I traveled to Iceland to shoot a music video with a good friend of mine – one of the things I’d like to do more often. It was one of my favorite trips ever. It’s epic beauty wherever you look, their way of life over there and their culture is fascinating!
It was pretty funny because when we were over there I was the only one in the group able to drive. I haven’t driven a manual car since I was 18, and we were on the other side of the road to the UK. I did a lot of driving which was pretty stressful and hilarious to look back on, especially when it was pitch black, snowing, and in the middle of the wilderness, all part of the experience though! That’s what travel brings you – it puts you in many situations you can learn from and get to know yourself better.
"Situations you’d have never gotten into otherwise, learn and discover things you otherwise wouldn’t."
In terms of singular moments that I truly loved, I have to say it is when I just arrived in Bali. I got to the hotel at night, it was still pitch black outside and couldn’t see a thing. Although I’d have just a few hours of sleep, I set an alarm for the early morning to get up and shoot and WOW! I was so stunned when I went outside for sunrise. We were in the middle of the jungle in Ubud and it was just such a breathtaking view to wake up to.
"I cannot wait to revisit that amazing place!"
It is so special how each place affects you and surprises you. In South Africa I was fortunate enough to travel to both Joburg and Cape Town, but the highlight by far was going on safari. Seeing nature in action like that was phenomenal, something I had seen on television but when you see it with your own eyes, it’s a whole new experience and impresses you deeply. And then in Jakarta, Indonesia, I was touched by the people, so kind and friendly, and seemingly so happy with what they have, happy to interact, happy to talk… And they loved getting their photo taken.
One of the things I love most about traveling is meeting new people and it was great to meet all these amazing people in completely different environments than I have been to before. Just like I love the connection and interaction with the (online) community of creators. There is so much knowledge being shared out there, about whatever you can and can’t imagine! So many people to learn from and to share with! This is what excites and fascinates me most – not just in my job or in travel, but in general.
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