About Peter
My interest in photography started when I was little. My dad dabbled in photography when my sister and I were little kids in the early 70s. In the mid to late 70s he had a side job as a wedding photographer. He, mostly, photographed weddings for friends and family. However, he did photograph weddings for people outside his circle of friends. I remember one wedding at John Muir Island when I was 8-9 years old. It was a wedding for people I did not know. This is my earliest memory of taking a photograph. My dad, usually, photographed weddings with his Hasselblad camera. However, he had a Rolleiflex in his arsenal. At this particular wedding, he let me walk around with it and take pictures. I remember not knowing anything about photography except I looked down into the camera to frame the shot and pushed the button. What I do remember is trying to frame shots to make them look good. Not sure I succeeded as those photos have been lost to time. Eventually, my dad’s interest in photography waned a bit and I never pursued it afterwards.
Later in Junior High School, I took 2 years of drafting/architecture as an elective. I enjoyed the methodical pursuit of getting the picture just right. In High School, I did drafting/architecture for my freshman, sophomore, and junior years. Unfortunately, it was not offered my senior year. However, I did take an art class my senior year as the elective. Also during my high school years, I dabbled in pencil drawing. Mostly, I copied other comics and did a pretty good job. I was no Michelangelo, but I was able to produce some decent work. I stopped drawing after high school. Maybe because after graduation, I spent time trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my life. I was told you need to get a degree and a 9-5 job, but that always seemed boring to me. I ended up finding software development. As a kid, I was enamored with computers and had a knack for understanding them. Also, I was lucky enough to be at the right time and the right place to get into this career. Especially, since I did not have a college degree. I spent 27 years being a self taught software developer.
During my time as a software developer, I had many hobbies (get that from my dad). I rock climbed, mountain and road biked, autocrossed, hiked many a mile, etc. During this time, I dabbled in photography, never taking it seriously. I bought a Nikon D3000 around 2010 because I thought I would try it out as a hobby. At this time, I knew next to nothing about photography. Also, I used the “Auto” settings on my camera and shot in JPEG. For a while, photography was not a hobby I focused on. I was more interested in the other hobbies I was pursuing. However, I did feel a desire to capture the places I was at; and the experiences I was having. I never learned the technical side and always focused on what I was capturing. The photograph below on the right is, probably, the best photograph I took. This is a doc at Ojo de Liebre in Baja Sur, Mexico where the grey whales come into the bay to give birth. It is a wonderful place because you can interact with the whales. I woke up early the morning we were heading out and saw this site. I knew I just had to get this shot.
As the pandemic came to an end, I started to realize that I was getting out hiking in locations that had a lot of great beauty. I, also, realized people I know would never get to see these places. So, I decided to buy my first mirrorless camera. It was a Nikon Z50ii. I took 2 classes at George’s Camera in San Diego with the purpose of learning how to take good photographs. These classes got me started in understanding how a camera works. The spark that was a small ember ignited; and my natural curiosity has led me down a path of exploring photography to get a greater understanding of what it means to capture moments in life. I have since changed careers from software development to photography. I continuously explore how cameras work, and photography as an art.
I am starting to figure out what my style is at this point in my journey. I know I want to capture places that give the viewer an experience where their minds will go into a meditative, or contemplative, state. My goal is to capture a moment where the viewer can place themselves at the scene and get the feeling of what it is like to be in that moment. These moments are the moments where most people will stop, forget about their daily life, and meditate/reflect/contemplate.
One of my mantras throughout my career and hobbies is to “always give back”. As I have gained a lot of knowledge in photography, I want to give back and help others achieve their goals. So, I decided to create Peter Minearo Photography to teach classes; and take people out to show them where/what/how to capture great moments with photography. I look forward to seeing you out there.
