“The camera is my tool. Through it I give a reason to everything around me.” – André Kertész 

Photography is a form of art and expression that can be used to express one’s perspective. Capturing a single moment requires experimenting with various angles to create a satisfying capture. Eimer Peters an Irish-born and raised who has been living overseas for almost 20 years, shares her journey with us. People, places and cultures have always aroused her curiosity. Despite studying international business management in Germany and starting her own training and consulting firm in West Africa, she decided to explore photography further. Her adventures in West Africa and at present based in Jakarta have fortunately provided her the opportunities to capture special moments.

Smartphones were a good starting point and honestly, they are so light and ever-present that they continue to be tremendously useful for photography. – Eimer Peters

Over time after having kids and with each international move, she has reinvented herself professionally. After landing in Indonesia and studying the culture and history to become a tour guide at the National Museum it allowed her to get acquainted with the cultures of Indonesia. An unfortunate incident at the Museum, left a nice gap for her to fill broadening her horizons further to explore her photography. After some soul searching, she returned to a lifelong dormant passion.

Jakarta and Indonesia is a safe and friendly place where foreigners are treated well and locals are often open and welcoming, helping a new photographer ease into the scene. The curious street scenes and diverse landscapes are a never-ending source of inspiration. – Eimer Peters

She has delved deeper into photography by enhancing her skills through online courses and meeting fellow enthusiasts. Photography has helped her get out more and become more perceptive to her surroundings. Her images speak for themselves and every capture allows you to feel inspired to visit the place and brings a smile to your face.

She believes if one has a passion for photography the first step to learning is to find a mentor or a friend to learn from. “Even if they are not doing the type of photography you are interested in, there is just so much to learn. Secondly, as cliched as it sounds: it’s a process, try to enjoy it. Lastly, get out of your comfort zone, try new things, and offer your services for free (until you are happy with your product and then you can charge).”

When we are on our photography journey, we often enjoy taking a few photo walks or prefer specific places to take pictures in. But, according to Eimer there is no best place, just start with what sparks your interest or take pictures wherever you can in whatever moment. As the famous Henri Cartier-Bresson quote says “Your first 1,000 photographs are your worst.”

In today’s times, there is a lot of competition as photography has become more of a trend not just a passion or hobby. Thus, the plethora of options for photographers sometimes can be daunting. Eimer advises photographers to keep themselves inspired:

“Seek out the work of others, read and browse galleries and websites and set yourself assignments based on what inspires you.” – Eimer Peters

It has been fascinating to walk through Eimer’s journey in photography and her plans for the future are to “keep learning about light and finding interesting ways to present and share her photography.” Through her journey hope it gets “the photographer” in you to click, capture and share!

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