Mark Peterson

Instead of capturing standard color photojournalism images, he started taking his photos in black and white, playing with flash and harsh light and emphasizing certain things about the images to accent how staged most of these events are. He emphasized that while he manipulates angles and flash, everything in the photos is real.--Elizabeth Flock PBS NewsHour Peterson's cinematic, close-up portraits of U.S. presidential candidates and their supporters are among the most dramatic images taken along this year's campaign trail, finding their way to covers of TIME magazine and NY Mag, among others. Highly contrasted and garishly lit, his black-and-white images chronicled the insanity of the protests and rallies leading up to the election--and remain a powerful record in its wake.--Demie Kim Artsy Mark Peterson starkly captures the conscience of the American political drama.--Michelle Molloy Time, Best Photobooks of 2016 Through Peterson's cinematic lens, politicians morph into vaudevillian performers, their constituents raving fans. The images deliberately break from the impartial and deferential style of photojournalists, opting instead to highlight intensity, absurdity and artifice wherever they appear.--Priscilla Frank The Huffington Post ...this election is perfectly captured in black and white by photographer Mark Peterson, stripping the last two years down to its bare bones, showing the warts and weirdness of democracy gone awry.--Aline Smithson Lenscratch Under his handheld flash, he shows candidates as human beings with their flaws and imperfections amplified by his careful lighting and framing.--Paul Moakley Time Magazine