Guy Peterson

Photojournalism | Last Updated: February 5, 2021

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My Name is Guy Peterson. I have recently finished my degree at Falmouth University studying Marine and Natural History Photography.

Although much of the work for this degree was focused on the natural world, specifically underwater photography, my main interest is people. I have been developing my own projects that focus on social political issues in underrepresented places.

My dissertation was written in Northern Mozambique and West Zimbabwe where I was photographing multiple stories about how education for sustainable development could be used for poverty reduction in remote areas of Africa.

My most recent project was done in Amman, Jordan and produced a 140-page, large format book. This was named ‘All Roads Lead to Amman’ and is a collection of portraits and interviews with refugees who have fled from neighbouring countries to all reside in Amman, 30% of Jordan’s population is made up of refugees.

I wanted these stories and images to uncover the anonymous nature of mass migration and give Jordan the recognition it deserves for its openness to accepting such large waves of peoples since its independence in 1946.

I have always traveled, and photography has allowed me to explore far deeper into places most people only see the surface of. I spent my childhood moving from country to country, being born in Amman, Jordan then moving to Moscow, Russia and then to Istanbul, Turkey before settling in the UK when I was 12.

Being exposed to so much culture from such a young age has given me an open mind and a curiosity for stories that are more intricate than just breaking news. Long-form photojournalism has come to feed this curiosity. I think it is important to record and share the long-term aftermath and consequences of events that are usually only considered breaking news stories.

Although photojournalism is the long-term game, I spend the other half of my time photographing music festivals throughout the summer, providing content for the social media and marketing teams. I love music, and by doing this I get to meet and work with some of my idols in the music industry.

Because of this split in photographic practice my gear has to suit doing both things. For this reason, I shoot with both Fuji and Nikon, I have found a balance of kit that suits my needs perfectly.

For any generic shoot for clients (music festivals, events, portraits, etc.) I use my Nikon D4. This camera is a beast and is so consistently accurate that I never need to worry about missing the shot. With this, I use a Nikkor 17-35mm f/2.8 which almost permanently sits on my camera wherever I go.

My other go-to lens is the Tamron SF 70-200mm f/2.8 Di VC USD G2 which I picked up last year and was blown away by. The image stabilisation is unbelievable, and it’s lightning quick!! A Nikkor 14mm f/2.8 and a Nikkor 50mm f/1.8 are also occasionally used but only if there is a specific type of shot I want to get.

My other body is Fuji X-Pro1 paired with an 18mm f/2. This camera I use for any kind of travel/street/photojournalism stuff. I love how small and subtle it is. Compared to the D4 it is far less intimidating and has allowed me to shoot in places that would never have been possible with my D4.

I enjoy the limitation of just having the one lens that is also a prime, combined with the rangefinder style viewfinder. It forces you to think outside the box when composing shots. I have never been a fan of EVF’s, but enjoy the size of mirrorless. This camera is the perfect compromise between the two.

One of the reasons I have grown to love the X-Pro 1 is that I can charge the batteries from my power bank while on the road. I am usually traveling for at least a month at a time and could be away from reliable power for large parts of that.

I carry three batteries with me and an Anker Powercore 20100 which can fully charge one of the batteries three times. I also take three batteries for my D4 while traveling and leave the charger at home. I have found that these batteries can last me a month of shooting when on the road and the charger is far too large to consider bringing.

I try to travel as light as possible and usually leave my laptop at home along with my hard drives. I instead have two 128gb Micro sd cards which I back up my photos to using my phone and a Photofast CR-8800 to transfer photos. These are great because they are easy to hide in money belts or anywhere else that is needed to keep them safe while on the road.

Having multiple 32gb sd and cf cards means that I fill them up quickly on a trip and swap them out, so if any get lost or damaged it is only a portion of my photographs rather than if they all were on one larger card.

I carry all of this in a Domke F-3X which I slide in and out of whatever backpack I am using for a trip (usually a Patagonia Ascensionist 32Lr) This means whenever I’m carrying my stuff on my back it never looks like a camera bag. The shoulder bag itself is now pretty beaten up, so also doesn’t scream ‘expensive gear’ if I’m carrying it around.

The whole idea of my setup is to draw as little attention to myself when I am trying to shoot. If I only want to carry something small, I use a Domke belt and D-901 pouch which can fit a lens or even my whole X-Pro 1 if need be.

Other essentials that I never leave without are, cloth tape ( it can fix everything from cameras to people), at least one handkerchief (having a cold on a 10-hour bus with only two bits of tissue sucks, so this can be a lifesaver), and lastly, a notebook (incredibly important to record interviews accurately to come back to weeks later while writing stories).

Gear List:

Nikon D4

Nikkor 17-35mm f/2.8 D

Nikkor 14mm f/2.8 D

Nikkor 50mm f/1.8 G

Tamron SP 70-200mm f/2.8 Di VC USD G2

ExPro EN-EL18 (x2)

Fuji X-Pro 1

Fujinon 18mm f/2 Super EBC

Fuji EF-X20 flash

ExPro NP-W126 (x2)

Domke F-3X