Through the eyes of: Andrew "Lance" Peters

Hey Andrew, first of all, where did the nickname “Lance” come from?

I really need to make up a new story for this. But until then I’ll just give you the real, boring one. When I was about 9 yrs old I used to skate at my local skate spot ‘Chilis’ with some older kids from the area. They said I looked like another kid they went to high school with named Lance, so it stuck. Then I wrote it on my board a bit when I started skating in the city and it caught on with all my new friends in the city. I hated it for a while and tried to escape it, but that’s when something like that sticks harder. Now I pretty much get  introduced as Lance 90% of the time and just recently got a tattoo of a knight on a horse with a jousting lance haha. I guess it’s here for life.

How did you get into photography?

I think it’s the pretty standard answer. I was into skating hard out and then I had to quit cause my knee was having growing pains problems. Then I got back into it and my friends (such as the magician – Chima) were leaps and bounds ahead of me. I still wanted to hang though so when they’d go off on missions to shoot photos with the likes of Guy Miller and Dave Chami I’d try to tag along and learn as much as I could about what they were doing to keep me in the game. So it probably started cause of FOMO (fear of missing out) but then later developed into a much more passionate pass time.

Did you ever plan to make it your profession or did it just naturally progress to that?

I guess I always had the dream that all my favourite skateboarders would come out on a trip and the photographer would die in a freak accident and I’d get to go and shoot all of it with his gear and that would break me into being the next big skate photographer in the states. So in a sense I guess I did. At one stage I wanted to go study in the states etc, but figured that was probably the worst thing to do. I don’t think any of the ideas I have had, have ever followed through and I never had a strict plan to becoming a professional photographer. So it all happened naturally. I was a senior photographer at Slam before I’d finished high school so I moved out of home a week after I finished my exams. I had to support myself somehow quick smart and that was my only real income.

What are the best and worst aspects of shooting skateboarding photos?

The best aspects are living on my own schedule and doing things whenever I feel like it, like any freelance job. But then that has it downfalls, cause you have to be really self motivated, cause if you don’t make things happen and go out skating and shoot interviews and make friends, you don’t get to shoot anything and the landlord kicks you out of home and sometimes it’s the last thing you feel like doing. Then there’s travelling which is awesome, you get to go all over the place, most of the time for free and get paid to holiday with your friends. Of course there’s the downfall of that which is getting stuck in a van for 10 days full of dudes that you just really don’t get along with or don’t care to be around 24 hours a day, so that can get draining. I think all in all, it’s a pretty good job, you can find flaws in anything.

Where have you travelled to shoot photos and where would you like to go in the future?

I haven’t actually done that much travelling to different places, a lot of the same locations, going up and down the east coast of Australia. But I have travelled all around Australia, and I went to New Zealand for a little trip earlier this year. Last year I was lucky enough to spend 3 months in the states where i got to go on a couple of tours which went through San Diego, LA, San Fran, Oregon and New York. A lot of driving and a lot of middle America. I also got to work on some interviews and an article on the Baker House in Hollywood. I want to travel all around the place to shoot photos, I don’t really have anywhere that I wouldn’t like to go. I guess the major skateboarding destinations are in Europe, but I know I’m off to New Zealand early next year, then hopefully Japan and maybe try to stay a while in New York. I really like the approach to skating over there.

Did you start out shooting film? What are your thoughts on the whole film verses digital debate?

I started out shooting film. I was a bit of a film purist for a minute when the new digi stuff started to really infiltrate. I think I felt ripped off cause I’d worked my ass off learning to shoot film, spending lots of time and money on processing, experimenting and failing. Then this new medium came in and people could learn a lot of that early stuff with lighting and exposure in one day rather than a month of back and forth to the lab. Also the results were garbage. It looked like crap for ages and still does a lot of the time. nothing like those big slides you were getting back from a medium format cameras. But all the budgets went and it got to the point where it was either keep shooting film but not make any money and have to pick up another job or go digital and learn that whole new world and keep living off photography, so I swallowed my pride and started shooting digital. The ever-improving technology allows digital photography to get better and better, and with the help of programs like Photoshop and other plugins you can make your stuff look like film if you like or take it to whole other levels that were never achievable with film. I love the process and the art in shooting film but consider both different mediums that both have their pros and cons at the moment.

What’s your current setup?

I have a bunch of gear at my house etc that I like to use on occasion, both film and digital. My regular set up going out skating is just a Nikon D3 and a bunch of lenses all prime lenses, no zoom and then a couple of flashes, usually just shoot with like 3 flashes. maybe a couple extras if I know I’m shooting a really big area and need a lot of light. My current skateboard is a Baker Shake Junt board – 8 inches, some indy’s, Modus bearings and Hoon wheels. but i usually try to be a pile when I go out shooting and wear like cowboy boots or something so i don’t fall over trying to skate.

Who are some of your favourite photographers?

There are millions of photographers out there that kill it. Especially non skate photographers. Then with skate photographers i love some stuff that some people do and then hate some of the other stuff they do. I’m really picky with other peoples stuff, hopefully I’m as picky with myself. My favourite skateboard picture makers are Brian Gaberman, Mike O’Meally, Oliver Barton and Dave Chami (transworld line-up). I like a lot of the stuff that Jonathan Mehring does and then there’s heaps of individual stuff that i like from all different dudes. All the old Sturt stuff is the best shit still, and some old Skin photos too. Nothing’s as special anymore, the idea of the idol skateboarders seems to die more and more with every name you have to remember of who’s killing it and who did what, so I think that to make something really memorable and really stand out when there’s so many mags coming out and so much skating going on is almost impossible. it’s weird. Out of skate photography I like so many current photographers; Bill Henson, Ryan McGinley, Scott Lowe, Derek Henderson. Really i can’t keep up with all the photographers i like, so many new photographers doing amazing things.

Do you sometimes find yourself playing the role of motivational coach when shooting skate photos?

I guess, sometimes. I’ve definitely done that before. I don’t want anyone to do things they don’t want to do. If we’re somewhere and it’s obvious someone could do something they just need that little bit of confidence I’ll say something small, or offer $50 first try or something. But in general, I think I’m not going somewhere with someone anymore unless they really want to do the trick.

How did FuknOath mag come about? What is your role?

I talk a lot of shit. And my good friend Andrew Currie talks a lot of shit. So we thought it would work out to talk heaps of shit together and find a bigger audience to listen to our shit. The original idea came about cause i was ending up with lots of left over photos from the other mags, stuff that people would be hyped to see and Andrew saw that, that opportunity was there. So one night drunk at a bar we started talking shit on everything and coined the idea that we would actually do something. It took a long time for the first one to come out, so it almost didn’t happen a couple of times. Since then we’ve both hated each other enough to drop out, but I think that’s the energy it needs to stay interesting i guess. I shoot a lot of photos, write a few of the articles and lay out the whole magazine. first time I ever used InDesign the lay out program was for the first mag. I have no idea about graphic design what-so-ever, can you tell?

What advice can you give to anyone wanting to get into skate photography?

Hurry Up! We desperately need more in Australia. It’s not that hard, you just have to be smart about it. Work out what kind of skating you like and what kind of photography you like. How you want you’re photos to look. Be specific too. Make sure you study everything in a photo that you like and why. there’s more to it then a lot of people think. Listen to people that know what they are talking about and not so much to the rest. Clean backgrounds, good exposure, timing and composition. Then quit and earn the big bucks shooting fashion. just kidding. but really.

What’s the future hold for Andrew Peters?

Get married and have kids and settle down with a skate industry job. Psyche! I don’t know. I’d like to go hang out overseas for a while. Just for a change of scenery. Just waiting to turn 21 to make it a little easier to maintain alcoholism in the states. I want to shoot skating for a while longer, I’ve still got a lot to learn in skateboarding first before I could think too much about moving on. I’ve been assisting on film sets a little and shot the stills for a short film the other week and really enjoy that. I would love to direct some of my own stuff, so maybe, I don’t know. That would be a very gradual thing. Keep doing what I’m doing for a minute, not make too many plans cause it’s working out without them so far.

Last words?

Read as many books as you can and kiss as many girls as you can.