We recently connected with Wes Pedersen and have shared our conversation below.

Wes, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?

I have a deep passion for photography, architecture, and design; I believe the built world around us has a story to tell and information to gain from it. Whether it’s a detailed aerial map of your property, progress tracking photos and videos for your construction project, high-quality furnished photos of your home when it’s complete, there are a lot of different ways we can view our environment and gain a deeper connection to it through photography and videography.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

I was born in Michigan and moved all over the midwest, before settling in Minneapolis for a few years to go to college for architecture. While in Minneapolis I also married the love of my life, Kristin, and almost a year ago we had our first child. I recently moved back to Michigan and am working in the Detroit area.

My mother use to work as a professional photo stylist back in the film days, so she was who initially put a camera in my hand and taught me the ropes. She insisted with starting me out on an old 35mm film camera before jumping to digital, which I will forever be grateful for. That experience really helped give me a well-rounded understanding of the processes that go on inside the camera before I started to dive into the world of digital photography.

Today I work as a freelance photographer specializing in architectural and landscape design photography. I provide everything from interior and exterior photos, to aerial photography and videography for real-estate and construction work, and much more. I am Part 107 certified with the FAA for commercial drone work (along with NIMS certifications to help emergency response efforts with drones), as well as OSHA 10 certified to help provide safer construction progression photography to my clients.

Most recently I have started a side-project with my wife called “Mo’s Plate” which highlights family-focused food photography. My wife already had a passion for cooking, so we decided to combine our talents into something new. I like to think of food photography as an extension of my architectural work; it involves a lot of the same principles and techniques, just with a different subject matter at a much smaller scale.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

It’s tough to narrow it down, but I would have to say the most rewarding part about being a creative is opening peoples eyes to new perspectives. There’s so much that we can learn about the built environment around us if we just slow down and put ourselves in someone else’s shoes. Through careful observation and conscious evaluation we can learn a lot about how our world has evolved through the centuries, where it’s headed in the future, how we utilize the spaces around us, and how our built environment influences our thoughts and actions.

The greatest aspect of photography as a medium is its ability to record reality, but everyone’s reality differs based on their own perspective. Photography is a tool that allows me to share my perspective of reality to the world, but it also opens my own eyes to new perspectives and ideas that help make me a better person. And, in my humble opinion, that’s what art and creativity is all about.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

I’m a big book worm. Books help me continue to learn new ideas and skills every single day. In terms of books that have influenced my creative philosophy, Genius Loci: Cranbrook by Balthazar Korab, the Ansel Adams Photography Series, and Envisioning Information by Edward R Tufte were all very important to my artistic development. More on the entrepreneurial side, Atomic Habits by James Clear has had a huge impact in how I approach every day as a small business owner. It has helped me work more efficiently, create positive habits, and also identify unhealthy habits.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.pedersenphotovideo.com
• Instagram: @pedersen_wes
• Facebook: @pedersen.photography
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wes-pedersen-b14533158