peter dawson

NEW BLOG

2010-01-20T15:16:00.000-08:00

I'm now on tumblr:
peterdawson.tumblr.com

New Work

2009-08-21T17:27:00.000-07:00

More New Work

2009-07-30T10:39:00.000-07:00

11 new landscape images posted here: www.peterdawson.net/recent

New Landscapes

2009-07-28T15:50:00.001-07:00

Just shot these in the Eastern Sierras.

2009-04-29T16:45:00.000-07:00

New Portrait

2009-04-25T12:59:00.000-07:00

Eric Owyoung/Future of Forestry for EMI Records

Recently from the iPhone

2009-04-21T11:10:00.000-07:00

Nap

Rumpy the dune buggy

Got to go for a ride in a Shelby Cobra

Cafe visitor

It'll happen

Blast from the past

Website Updated!

2009-03-31T20:30:00.001-07:00

www.peterdawson.net

2009-03-13T10:48:00.000-07:00

Keeler, CA

2009-02-23T16:26:00.000-08:00

Refreshing Online Photo Gallery

2009-02-20T17:41:00.000-08:00

flakphoto.com

I came across this online photo gallery and community of photographers and really enjoyed the work and format. Here is a quote from the site:

Flak Photo is a photography blogzine featuring distinctive work from an international community of contributors that promotes interesting visual approaches to seeing the world and celebrates the art of exhibiting quality photography online. The blog is produced by Andy Adams and features work from new photo essays, book projects and gallery exhibitions from established and emerging photographers. Flak Photo is updated frequently, attentively edited and open to submissions from the general public.

Retouched by Gloss

2009-02-20T12:48:00.000-08:00

I recently worked with Gloss Post-production to retouch a few images I shot for an editorial a while ago, sort of as a trial run for working together in the future. I think they did an excellent job and just wanted to post the final images.

New Pic

2009-02-17T21:20:00.000-08:00

The Good Ol' Element

2009-02-10T17:53:00.001-08:00

New landscape images from the sierras and panamint valley coming soon.

New print portfolio progress

2009-01-30T16:23:00.000-08:00

I'm working on updating my advertising portfolio with new work, as well as rediscovering old work that i've just never really gotten to. It's actually been fun sifting through everything and piecing images together. It's also great putting together a new book because I'm seeing how my work has evolved and more importantly, where it's going. Here are some spreads that will be in my book with either new images, or old ones that I haven't showed before. I'll post again when the entire book is finished.

The white strip in the middle is where the paper goes into the binding.

Cheese on Italian Food

2009-01-21T17:54:00.000-08:00

John Stewart on Obama's speech. This cracks me up!

The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10c

Changefest '09 - Obama's Inaugural Speech

Barack Obama Interview
John McCain Interview

Sarah Palin Video
Funny Election Video

New Portrait - Bonnie Piesse

2009-01-17T15:51:00.000-08:00

Bonnie is an Australian actress and singer/songwriter. Her first album is coming out in the spring and she just has the most beautiful voice!

Somewhere in Oregon

2008-12-14T17:03:00.001-08:00

A Quote

2008-11-12T19:53:00.000-08:00

Fate (or whatever it is) delights to produce a great capacity and then frustrate it. Beethoven went deaf.
-C.S. Lewis, A Grief Observed

This actually had me laughing hysterically -

iPhone snaps from the last month or so....

2008-11-06T21:57:00.001-08:00

Taylor and I went for a ride on the coast in San Diego. That's my bike on the left.

Beeswax. Game over.

Alter Call

Old lady smoking a cigarette in Larchmont

Real art. Getty museum.

Real art. Getty Museum.

More proof that big government is a bad idea:

Rad bulldog at Influx in San Diego

Big Pine Creek in the Sierras

Cool dog with a great stance at Peets in Larchmont

Ladies Room. Jakes Saloon in Lone Pine, CA.

In Print: City of Others - In a Fast-Paced World

2008-10-29T21:23:00.000-07:00

Check out my buddies "the Steves" and their denim company City of Others! This was a really fun, challenging, and fulfilling shoot for me. Lots of pre-visualization and running all over LA looking for interesting things that move.

Burro Portraits

2008-10-22T13:26:00.000-07:00

From the the Wild Burro Rescue in Olancha, CA.

ALICE

WENDY

Check out this Photoshop file I'm working on:

2008-09-25T23:17:00.000-07:00

***UPDATED - FINISHED LAYERED FILE
Click on the image. Now you know why I haven't been able to come out and play lately =(
And it's about to get even crazier....

In Print: Mercedes SL For V-ZINE (U.K.)

2008-09-18T11:49:00.000-07:00

We shot these out near Palm Springs back in April for a British car magazine called V-ZINE. It was so much fun, not too hot, and i got to hear people with British accents, on multiple occasions, call the trunk "the boot." Fun job, great client, here's some pics:

This Is Totally Real

2008-09-11T22:40:00.000-07:00

I Love Scotch. I went to BevMo to buy a new bottle, and look what I found! I had no idea! The first pic is from my iPhone at the store and the second is from a little google search. I guess the distillery started in the late 1800's and I really want to collect vintage bottles now. This just makes me happy.

Speaking of Iceland...

2008-09-10T18:46:00.000-07:00

Just a note that i found out portions of Terrence Malick's new film Tree of Life filmed some scenes in Iceland. I CAN'T WAIT FOR THIS!!! I guess it is in post production now and supposed to come out sometime in 2009.

Perfect

2008-09-04T22:37:00.000-07:00

I'm not going to lie, I think this is pretty freaking cool and yes i will give myself a little pat on the back. If you need help next time you're selecting paint for your new kitchen or whatever, my perfect color vision is available. for a price. Thanks to my friend Dave for referring the test. you can take it here. It's pretty difficult unless you have perfect color vision. Like me. OK, I'll stop now.

In The Works: Limited Edition Iceland Book

2008-08-28T15:00:00.000-07:00

I'm working on creating a limited edition (probably about 200) book of my images from Iceland. I've never felt like this project has really found it's place. Some of the images are in my advertising portfolio and website, but overall i don't think i've done justice to this series, and this beautiful place that i really connect with. I'm pretty sure it's NOT going to be a blurb book, as i've heard the paper and print quality isn't great, but i may make a test book through blurb. My good friend and designer Joseph King (Waves)is going to contribute his talents with the design/layout, typesetting, and all that. I'm really excited for this, and may even take one more trip to Iceland for some new images...we'll see.

In the meantime, here are 5 images from the series.

Image Info:
1) Lonsoraefi Pond
2) Jokulsarlon and Clearing Storm
3) Northeast Territory and Approaching Storm
4) Selfoss
5) Boardwalk at Hverir Geothermal Area

In Print: Ducati for Outside's GO Magazine

2008-08-18T13:53:00.000-07:00

I love the assignments i get with GO. They usually involve traveling to cool places and playing with toys that I otherwise wouldn't have access to. And they just a have a fun group of people to work with! The concept behind this assignment was to have a European adventure in North America. Our hero was Ducati's new 848 and our playground was a very Euro-centric Montreal.

outsidego.com

New Portrait

2008-08-11T18:00:00.000-07:00

Outtake from a recent assignment. I was shooting for a small denim company, so the main shots are all full-body showing the jeans, but this girl just had such a unique face so i shot a few close-ups. More from this shoot in a few weeks...

More Dogs On Larchmont

2008-08-04T17:16:00.000-07:00

This is Louie, an English Bulldog pup. Not only does Peets have the best coffee, its also the best place to live vicariously through other dog owners.

Right Place, Right Time.

2008-07-26T20:55:00.000-07:00

I shot this in three different pieces on my iPhone. You can't control the exposures, hence all the weird gradation in the sky, but this was definitely one of the more beautiful things i've seen in a long time. The lens isn't wide enough to show the entire rainbow, but it completely arced over the joshua tree. It was about 90 degrees and raining with that fresh-rain-in-the-desert smell. About 40 miles west of Death Valley. And no, I did not have my real camera with me.Click on the image to see it larger...

Music Video Update

2008-07-24T13:34:00.001-07:00

Just a quick note that the music video I directed for Charlotte Martin is now on VH1.com. Woohoo!

The Relaunch of Weber.com

2008-07-24T12:06:00.000-07:00

Weber has launched a new website with the "Hands" image we shot as the main illustration. This had to be a versatile image that they could use in all different formats - magazine, outdoor, web, etc. - and this is a good look at the full panoramic format. AND there is a large collection of tasty grilling recipes, so definitely check out the new weber.com!

Agency = Rabble + Rouser
Retouching = Sugar Digital

New Portrait

2008-07-19T22:27:00.001-07:00

KIM

Desert + iPhone = These Photos

2008-07-18T17:36:00.000-07:00

In Print: Lamborghini for Winding Road

2008-06-29T14:36:00.001-07:00

We shot these on the roof of the parking structure at Mandalay Bay. Flashlight handiwork by Taylor. I'm all about driving green.

random outtake i liked

2008-06-24T01:50:00.001-07:00

Classic

2008-05-18T15:43:00.001-07:00

Johnny Cash live at San Quentin.

New Landscapes

2008-04-28T12:01:00.000-07:00

I went camping near Lone Pine last week and took some pictures.

In Print: Weber Grills 2008

2008-04-26T16:06:00.000-07:00

These are some outdoor comps from the campaign. They will be running in magazines too.

JSF F-35

2008-04-26T13:31:00.000-07:00

I was out in the desert this last week and got a cool glimpse of the new Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) out at China Lake. It was practicing it's vertical take off and landings, which was really fun to watch. The Fighter was developed by Lockheed and will be purchased by the United States and eight other allies including Great Britain and Australia. They purposefully made it inferior to the F-22 so as to keep the USA one step ahead of any other fighters in the world. Here's an informative video:

Funny Sandwich Order

2008-04-18T23:40:00.000-07:00

"I'll have a number two on a baguette."

Yes, I ordered that today, and it was sooooo tasty.

The Thin Red Line

2008-04-17T22:59:00.000-07:00

A few quotes from one of my favorite films. Also just an FYI for anyone who cares, Terrence Malick is currently filming his next feature, Tree Of Life, which looks like it is starring Brad Pitt and Sean Penn. I can't wait for this.

WELSH:"In this world, a man himself, is nothin'. And there ain't no world but this one."
WITT: "You're wrong there Top - I seen another world - sometimes I think it's just my imagination."
WELSH: "Well, then you seen things I never will."

WITT: "One man looks at a dying bird and sees nothing but pain. Another man looks at the same bird and feels the glory."

WITT: "Everyone looking for salvation by himself; he's like a coal, thrown from the fire."

More Larchmont Dogs

2008-04-16T13:41:00.000-07:00

This is Lily. I think she's going to be a new muse of mine. Evidently she is recovering from a little knee surgery.

Dogs on Larchmont

2008-04-03T00:21:00.000-07:00

I go to the Peets Coffee on Larchmont at least once a day and there are always cool dogs there. So i decided to start taking pics with my iPhone. This may be a recurring installation on my blog.

In Print: Light Sport Aircraft For Outside's Go Magazine

2008-03-31T15:00:00.000-07:00

Flying around Lake Tahoe, The Eastern Sierra Nevada and landing on a dry lake out in the desert. This is also the launch of my modeling career (That's me riding co-pilot in the first photo).
www.outsidego.com

Get Three Coffins Ready

2008-03-27T22:53:00.001-07:00

I Friggin Love This

Fun With My iPhone

2008-03-20T17:38:00.000-07:00

I've been pretty busy lately, hence the lack of blog posts. I have been taking some snapshots with my new phone. So here you go:

Juanita Bay Park. A little hometown favourite from when i was home in seattle.

location scouting near palm springs

Shooting in Palm Springs

Lunch break near Cuernavaca, Mexico. We were a group of 4 Americans, 4 Japanese Engineers, a British journalist, and a Local Mexican. Fun times, lots of "can you please repeat that?"

Locals watching the soccer game at a little fish taco place in Acapulco. Mind blowing shrimp soup and spicy grilled fish.

View from hotel in Acapulco. Thanks unnamed major automotive manufacturer!

slightly worried

2008-03-05T18:43:00.000-08:00

so I recently ordered a new laptop from apple and saw that it is being assembled and shipped from shanghai china. Luckily I bought the 3 year protection plan, but I must admit I'm a little worried about the quality and all that. I did not know that apple is on the china bandwagon.
And on an even more apple note, this is officially my first blog post from my iPhone. Woohoo.

Baby Graham and Uncle Pete

2008-03-04T09:56:00.001-08:00

The Daily Grind

2008-02-18T13:01:00.000-08:00

Kit and I did a little office culture spoof fashion shoot called The Daily Grind for an LA based art magazine called Beautiful Decay. A Norwegian design studio called Made added some really cool type/illustration work. these are from a screen capture off their site:

Links:
Beautiful Decay
Made
Kit Pistol

Proud Uncle Pete!

2008-02-14T19:30:00.000-08:00

Graham Robert Goldsborough. Born Feb 14, 2008 12:15, 5lbs 11oz. Congratulations Amy and Eric!!!!

Peekaboo

After his first bath, check out the pinky action

the fam

2008-02-14T14:57:00.000-08:00

This Might Be Funny

2008-02-10T19:07:00.000-08:00

Even though I'm getting really tired of movies you could call "Quirky Comedies*"(Garden State, Little Miss Sunshine, Juno), I think this might be funny. It looks like it's essentially making a mockery of Hollywood, and who doesn't like kids with British accents?

*Beat a metaphor to death and set it to indie music.

In Print: Lamborghini For Outside's Go Magazine

2008-02-08T12:28:00.000-08:00

These were taken on the Pacific Coast Highway between San Luis Obispo and Monterey.
You can read the article HERE

2008-02-04T22:03:00.000-08:00

Old New Work

2008-01-30T21:16:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite places to shoot personal work is Central Oregon. Why Central Oregon? Exactly.

2008-01-24T23:04:00.000-08:00

Awesome

2008-01-23T22:55:00.000-08:00

I recently got to do a shoot at a really rich person's house. They are so rich that they have their own museum with the largest private sports memorabelia collection in the world. They also have things like film memorabilia, fossils, and all sorts of cool stuff. And they were really, really nice and gave us a tour:

game-worn Shaq shoe

game-used Babe Ruth bat

Honus Wagner baseball card. Most sought after card in the world, worth a cool $1.1 million. I checked my Beckett just to be sure.

Chewie's head. rrrrrraaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrr

Chewie's gun. It's actually a customized WWII machine gun and weighs 60 lbs. rrrrrrrrrraaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrr

Indiana Jones collection

The tablet from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

I have chosen wisely. This is the holy grail which fell into the crack in the end when Elsa steps over the seal.

More From The Brothers Karamazov

2008-01-21T22:31:00.000-08:00

"You'll live many days yet," the doctor would answer, "and months and years too."
"Months and years!" he would exclaim. "Why reckon the days? One day is enough for a man to know all happiness. My dear ones, why do we quarrel, try to outshine each other and keep grudges against each other? Let's go straight into the garden, walk and play there, love, appreciate, and kiss each other, and glorify life."
"Your son cannot last long," the doctor told my mother, as she accompanied him to the door. "The disease is affecting his brain."

And possibly my favorite sentence of the book so far:

"So prone is the man of the world to be ashamed of any righteous action."

Winter Pretty Pictures

2008-01-21T14:11:00.000-08:00

Pissed But Proud

2008-01-18T11:14:00.000-08:00

So last night Kit was booted off Project Runway ( or, as she calls it, "Project Rungay"), and all I have to say is that she got thrown under the bus by cry-baby-pansyass-comparatively talentless Ricky, and that somehow the judges (or more likely the producers, who know their demographic)can't seem to figure out what everyone else has: Ricky can't hang anymore, and he knows it.

OK, now that i got a little anger out, what I mainly wanted to say is that i'm super proud of Kit. She put in so much effort and energy, and actually sacrificed much of her life in LA for a season of shooting the show in New York. And it's just flat out inspiring to see your friends go for it. So i'm proud of you Tina.

Aside from not making it to the finals, the thing i was most bummed about was that they didn't give her much play time, and i felt like her wonderful personality didn't shine through. She never really received much criticism or praise and basically flew under the radar. I suppose the fact that she's a low-drama, quietly confident person doesn't bode well for "reality" TV, but luckily it does for reality!

Here is a link to her interview with Entertainment Weekly after departing the show:
http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20172293,00.html

and here's a link to her blog: http://www.kitpistol.com/blog/index.html

And to wrap this post up on a positive note, Tina's bows and accesories are now being sold at Fred Segal:

Speaking of novels...

2007-12-31T14:29:00.000-08:00

I couldn't resist:

Some Quotes

2007-12-30T23:20:00.000-08:00

I don't know why but I'm totally fascinated by Russia and the Baltic States. There's a certain dark genius, a coldness that's trying to warm up. Chess masters, ballerinas, war, espionage, hardened heavy drinking men - that kind of thing.

Anyway, one of my old Pastors (Earl Palmer - I want to be this guy when i'm old) used to frequently quote Dostoevsky's The Brothers Karamazov. I decided to dive into it during a little Christmas break up here in Seattle and frankly it's blowing my mind. It has everything - love, hate, brotherhood, family, philosophy, religion, psychology, and on and on. Here's some quotes from my reading so far:

The awful thing is that beauty is mysterious as well as terrible. God and the devil are fighting there and the battlefield is the heart of man.

I looked at her for three seconds, or five perhaps, with fearful hatred - that hate which is only a hair's-breath from love, from the maddest love!

"Remember, young man, unceasingly," Father Paissy began, without preface, "that the science of this world, which has become a great power, has, especially in the last century, analysed everything devine handed down to us in the holy books. After this cruel analysis the learned of this world have nothing left of all that was sacred of old. But they have only analysed the parts and overlooked the whole, and indeed their blindness is marvelous. Yet the whole still stands steadfast before their eyes, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. Has it not lasted nineteen centuries, is it not still a living, a moving power in the individual soul and in the masses of people? Is it still as strong and living even in the souls of athiests, who have destroyed everything! For even those who have renounced Christianity and attack it, in their inmost being still follow the Christian ideal, for hitherto neither their subtlety nor the ardour of their hearts has been able to create a higher ideal of man and of virtue than the ideal given by Christ of old. When it has been attempted, the result has been only grotesque. Remember this especially, young man, since you are being sent into the world by your departing elder. Maybe, remembering this great day, you will not forget my words, uttered from the heart for your guidance, seeing you are young, and the temptations of the world are great and beyond your strength to endure. Well, now, go my orphan."

I am going now; but believe me, Katerina Ivanova, you really love him. And the more he insults you, the more you love him - that's your laceration. You love him just as he is; you love him for insulting you. If he reformed, you'd give him up at once and cease to love him. But you need him so as to contemplate continually your heroic fidelity and to reproach him for infidelity. and it all comes from your pride. Oh, there's a great deal of humiliation and self-abasement about it, but it all comes from pride...I am too young and i've loved you too much. I know that I ought not to say this, that it would be more dignified on my part just to leave you, and it would be less offensive for you. But I am going far away and shall never come back...It is forever. I don't want to sit beside a laceration...But i don't know how to speak now. I've said everything...Goodbye Katerina Ivanova; you can't be angry with me, for i am a hundred time more severely punished than you, if only by the fact that i shall never see you again. goodbye!

All we Karamazovs are such insects, and, angel as you are, that insect lives in you, too, and will stir up a tempest in your blood.

Kit Pistol: "Life's Too Short"

2007-12-11T22:07:00.000-08:00

My good friend Christina ("Kit")is an awesome fashion designer. One of the things I love about Kit is that she takes fashion seriously as an art and means of expression, but she doesn't get lost in the materialism of the industry. In other words, she's very well grounded.

I'm really proud of her because she made it onto the show Project Runway as a contestant. So watch and root for Kit Wednesday nights on Bravo!

You can visit her website to see some of her work here: www.kitpistol.com She has some items for sale on the site. All the ladies reading my blog should definitely get a Kit Pistol bow!

This is a photo series i did with her titled "Life's Too short," Which we've decided could be an ongoing project. Here are the first three:

Flying

2007-12-04T16:48:00.000-08:00

I just got to try my hand at doing some aerial photography. I was able to mount my camera on the wing for some fun shots. Here's some snapshots, and i'll post the images after they're published.

On the ground with the camera mounted under the wing:

taking a picture of my camera taking a picture of me!

Final Album Packaging

2007-11-26T10:14:00.000-08:00

Charlotte Martin's new album called Reproductions, an all covers album. You can click on the pictures to see them bigger. The album is available on itunes.
Design by Strange//Attraktor.

Reel

2007-11-26T10:03:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to post that i've started an online reel to show my work as a director. So far there are only the two music videos, but i'll let you know next time i add anything. The quality is way better than watching on youtube. Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!

www.peterdawson.net/reel

sigur-ros

2007-11-24T20:41:00.000-08:00

Sigur-Ros playing a tiny concert in their native iceland. visit the homepage for their project Heima ("homeland"), a tour around iceland promoted only by word-of-mouth. You can also download an HD trailer of a movie they made about the tour mixing concert footage with beautiful images of Iceland.

Heima Homepage

More Fun in the Element

2007-11-12T22:16:00.000-08:00

Just doing a little motion test. The answer to your question is about 80. And i was listening to this nirvana song when i was driving so i put it in the clip.

snapshot from the video shoot

2007-10-25T23:16:00.001-07:00

Just look at those faces. Trouble i tell you...

my roommate is cool

2007-10-25T21:26:00.000-07:00

My roommate Laura does wardrobe/costume stuff for TV and film. I found out that she was working on a commercial for Honda that had Chuck Norris in it and i flipped out. If you watch the spot below, you'll see that when Chuck enters the room he has a super badass black leather band around his left bicep....a black leather band that is now in my possession. I'm also currently in possession of a cheap black watch that Chuck wore around but apparently didn't make it into the spot.

Charlotte Martin Music Video

2007-10-23T14:01:00.000-07:00

This is the music video i directed for Charlotte Martin. The song is a Pearl Jam cover called Elderley Woman Behind The Counter in a Small Town.

i'm not in my element but my element is in its element in the elements

2007-10-20T22:48:00.000-07:00

i found a road and it kept on going - 12,000 ft. elevation in the white mountains.

Fall Pretty Pictures

2007-10-19T16:00:00.000-07:00

I went out to June Lake a few weeks ago and took some pictures. I sort of decided that i'm not really into shooting landscapes anymore - i'd rather just go hiking or biking or snowboarding. But it's probably just a phase.

Dave, this is that F-16 video i was telling you about. Everyone else, this is the F-16 video i was telling Dave about.

2007-10-12T21:57:00.000-07:00

2:15 - 2:05 is really sweet.
I was actually at this air force base in Norway for the Bergen Air Show in 2005, but they didn't do this! The Norwegian Air Force's main fighter is the American F-16. Enjoy.

check out these donkeys i found

2007-10-08T10:57:00.000-07:00

These two guys were just hanging out in the middle of the road out in the desert.

They Love the Element:

In Memoriam

2007-09-27T13:22:00.001-07:00

I Like The Germans

2007-09-26T15:58:00.000-07:00

I found out that my photography is on a German design site right now. I had no idea what they said about it, but luckily my good friend Scuba Steve's girlfriend is German so i had her translate. Thanks Anneke! They probably made the most insightful compliment i've heard about my photography:

Dawson also has another side - mystic pictures that look like still lifes that raise more questions than answers.

I'm moving to Germany. They get it.

Here's the site: http://createordie.de/

Name This Horse

2007-09-25T20:52:00.000-07:00

In Print: Motorcycle Roadtrip For Outside's Go Magazine

2007-09-25T00:05:00.001-07:00

A little on-road/off-road exploration of the Owens Valley in California. You can read the article online here, or check it out next time you're at Borders and Noble.

Fashion Show

2007-09-18T22:23:00.001-07:00

My friend Christina ("Tina") is an amazing fashion designer and rare gem of a friend here in Hollywood. She recently had a piece in a benefit fashion show* where the theme was "Beautiful Fighter." So we decided what the hell, lets get a model and make a picture. We made a huge print of it and hung it in the gallery spot with her design. So there you go.

*aka "we need an excuse to be totally vain but not feel too guilty about it."

CAUTION: The following is a total tangent that fashion benefit shows got me thinking about. It is completely random and i had no idea this subject was going to get me going:

I'm not really sure how to explain this phenomenon that i'm noticing, but maybe some other people are noticing it too? It's a trend among twenty-somthings to make sure that every sort of social, and especially art-oriented event, has to be for something (other than just enjoying art). Does anyone else know where i'm coming from on this one? There's something that bothers me about this. I need help explaining this one because I don't want to come off as being too cynical.

I guess its similar to what i'm noticing about restaurants here in LA. I can go to Tere's mexican joint and get a really good chicken burrito for seven bucks, and they give it to me with a huge smile and know i'll be back again and they know my name. Then i can go to a really trendy restaurant (they always have one-word verb names like "crave" or "grub"), and get horribly rude service from condescending people, not to mention an over-priced bad meal, but dang it I should praise them for it because the cow that my steak came from was fed organically grown grain, and its poop was used to fertilize crops that are given to kids in Africa and it was given cow back massages.

Does anyone get what i mean? Can someone throw me a bone and put it into better words?

t-shirts i wish i thought of

2007-09-17T22:20:00.001-07:00

And Yes, I did like The Notebook:

Animal Vs. Buddy Rich

2007-09-13T12:28:00.000-07:00

In Print: Charlotte's Album Cover

2007-09-11T15:29:00.000-07:00

This is the cover of Charlotte Martin's new album Reproductions. Music video coming soon!

Future of Forestry Music Video

2007-09-05T15:08:00.000-07:00

Here you go. sorry for the somewhat poor youtube quality.

i did not set this up

2007-08-31T20:35:00.001-07:00

Every Artist Needs A Muse

2007-08-24T11:28:00.000-07:00

These are a few photos i did with Charlotte Martin for her upcoming album and tour promotion. There are lots more but they're going to be on the actual album so i can't show 'em yet. Check out Charlotte's Myspace Page for a pre-released song from that album and her tour dates. There are a few little behind the scenes snapshots from our shoot as well.

swimming bulldog - turn up the volume

2007-08-23T09:48:00.000-07:00

Future of Forestry Music Video

2007-08-17T11:54:00.000-07:00

The music video i directed for Future of Forestry is currently the featured video on Relevant Magazine's website. Check it out here!
Not sure how long it stays up there...

Roommate Road Trip

2007-08-11T12:40:00.000-07:00

Laura and I decided we'd had enough of LA for a day so we took a little trip out to the Colorado River. We packed up the element with some good snacking items, fishing poles, floaty stuff, and your basic swimming necessities.

A few weeks ago i was storm chasing out there to shoot skies for a project i'm working on, and i found this awesome spot on the river called El Dorado Canyon. Its perfect. It was about 100 degrees and the water felt so good! I'd take fresh water over swimming in the ocean any day.

Another highlight of the trip was Laura's mixed CD of 80's power ballads like THIS ONE. Oh yeah, we rocked out desert rat style.

Welcome to El Dorado Canyon

Outside the Hotel Nipton

"Hold on, I need a photo for Myspace"

Jumpin'. And don't even mess with Lo's nose plug style.

Fishin'. By the way, that's not bait, that's the only fish i caught. We named him Timmy and tossed him back.

Future of Forestry Music Video Update

2007-08-08T23:13:00.000-07:00

Hey everybody,
So i keep hearing from people who are wondering when the music video is going to be released, and I've been wondering the same thing, but have been met by frustrating silence from the record label. Finally i found out that a few months ago two of the band members decided to leave the band (which is now public knowledge), so everyone, including the label, had to keep quiet while they were on tour. Unfortunately, this also put a halt to the video release. I spoke with the record label and the band, and they both love the video and want to get it up soon, but it's just a crazy time for them now.

Unfortunately, I do not own the rights to video, and it would be a violation of my contract to post it on the internet, so the waiting game will have to continue.

There were many people who worked really hard to make the video happen, and some of them probably check in to my blog, so if you're one of those people thank you so much for your help and sorry you haven't been able to see the fruits of your labor yet.

On a more positive note, showing the video to a few agencies in LA landed me a commercial directing job and another music video. The next music video is with Charlotte Martin and should be ready in early september, so maybe you'll see the second before the first. I'll post as soon as they're out so check in every now and then.

A Quote

2007-08-08T14:42:00.000-07:00

Perhaps your own reiterated cries deafen you to the voice you hoped to hear.

- C.S. Lewis

Peter Dawson's Son Beats Peter Dawson At Ping Pong - AKA "This Actually Happened Part 2"

2007-08-02T15:24:00.000-07:00

I recently had the awesome experience of hanging out with some musician friends in a recording studio while they were recording an album. It was pretty much the coolest thing i've ever done and i so wish i was a musician! It's everything you think it is and more. Drinks (yes please), cigarettes(no thanks), people talking about the Beatles, etc...More on that later - but - something totally crazy happened.

After being introduced to the other musicians who were contributing to the album, one of them, a really cool guy named Jordan, says to me "wait a minute, are you Peter Dawson the photographer?" So i told him that i was in fact a photographer. So he says "No way! My dad is Peter Dawson the Violinist!"

WHAT?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

Yeah, so there are basically four other Peter Dawsons on Google:
1)Peter Dawson the Dentist/Dental institute in Florida, whom i despise because he has the domain www.peterdawson.com. If you're interested, it looks like their doing a "head and neck dissection" on August 9th.

2)Peter Dawson Band, an Austin Texas based musician. I don't really care for the music, but my friend from Texas went to his show once and mailed me a pair of pink American Apparel women's underwear that have "I LOVE PETER DAWSON" printed on the butt, which i guess this guy sells as merchandise at his shows. I'm saving them for the future Mrs. Dawson.

3)Peter Dawson the Australian Wedding Photographer. Sometimes i get email requests for my "wedding packages." Enough said.

4)Peter Dawson the Violinist Check it out! There's a little audio sample on the site and here's his storefront in Ottowa, Canada. He sells violins too.

So Jordan told me all about his dad - how he was a Russian Immigrant named Peter Zadorozny, and how that name wasn't memorable or whatever for a musician, so he changed his name to Peter Dawson. Jordan's an amazing musician too - check out some music on his myspace page: http://www.myspace.com/abbeyband

And yes, he beat me at ping pong, which is pretty good because i was my dorm champion in college, but i haven't played since then.

Small world indeed....

The Coolest Thing Ever

2007-07-26T21:54:00.000-07:00

click here !!!!!!!!!

Oldies But Goodies

2007-07-23T17:22:00.000-07:00

I recently received an inquiry from a design firm as to whether I had any pictures of the Tetons. I had to go back like five years, but i did shoot there for a day. I love going over old pictures and finding gems i didn't see (or didn't have time to fully realize). So here's a few from the Tetons circa 2003-ish.

road trip find

2007-07-16T20:34:00.000-07:00

count me in.

Weird Mood

2007-07-16T20:11:00.000-07:00

Like optimistic angst. The most telling moment of my day was when i couldn't decide whether to listen to the Gospel Bluegrass internet radio, or Nirvana. so i went back and forth.

Come to think of it, I also went back and forth between coffee and wine.

peter dawson

NEW BLOG

New Work

More New Work

New Landscapes

New Portrait

Recently from the iPhone

Website Updated!

Keeler, CA

Refreshing Online Photo Gallery

Retouched by Gloss

New Pic

The Good Ol' Element

New print portfolio progress

Archives

Cheese on Italian Food

New Portrait - Bonnie Piesse

Somewhere in Oregon

A Quote

iPhone snaps from the last month or so....

In Print: City of Others - In a Fast-Paced World

Burro Portraits

Check out this Photoshop file I'm working on:

In Print: Mercedes SL For V-ZINE (U.K.)

This Is Totally Real

Speaking of Iceland...

Perfect

In The Works: Limited Edition Iceland Book

In Print: Ducati for Outside's GO Magazine

New Portrait

More Dogs On Larchmont

Right Place, Right Time.

Music Video Update

The Relaunch of Weber.com

New Portrait

Desert + iPhone = These Photos

In Print: Lamborghini for Winding Road

random outtake i liked

Classic

New Landscapes

In Print: Weber Grills 2008

JSF F-35

Funny Sandwich Order

The Thin Red Line

More Larchmont Dogs

Dogs on Larchmont

In Print: Light Sport Aircraft For Outside's Go Magazine

Get Three Coffins Ready

Fun With My iPhone

slightly worried

Baby Graham and Uncle Pete

The Daily Grind

Proud Uncle Pete!

This Might Be Funny

In Print: Lamborghini For Outside's Go Magazine

Old New Work

Awesome

More From The Brothers Karamazov

Winter Pretty Pictures

Pissed But Proud

Speaking of novels...

Some Quotes

Kit Pistol: "Life's Too Short"

Flying

Final Album Packaging

Reel

sigur-ros

More Fun in the Element

snapshot from the video shoot

my roommate is cool

Charlotte Martin Music Video

i'm not in my element but my element is in its element in the elements

Fall Pretty Pictures

Dave, this is that F-16 video i was telling you about. Everyone else, this is the F-16 video i was telling Dave about.

check out these donkeys i found

In Memoriam

I Like The Germans

Name This Horse

In Print: Motorcycle Roadtrip For Outside's Go Magazine

Fashion Show