Colorful Uniqueness – Ian Ross Pettigrew

I'm a Graphic Designer who happens to take photos. Over 25 years as an Art Director makes a difference in my work. Of course, you can learn technical skills as a photographer, but having a great eye is what really matters.

I'm a Graphic Designer who happens to take photos. Over 25 years as an Art Director makes a difference in my work. Of course, you can learn technical skills as a photographer, but having a great eye is what really matters. I was lucky to work with many great photographers and was mentored by some great creative minds in the advertising industry - it taught me how to work with people, connect with my subjects, and, most importantly, see things with a designer's eye.

You'll see a lot of my work on very bright, colorful backgrounds. I love color and using it to accentuate the person. Most of these images are recent - as you can notice with the one reoccurring model (my girlfriend) - quarantine will do that. One project we have started (still ongoing) is photographing a one-color set.

So an example here would be slicing lemons on the yellow background wearing the yellow dress. I've done many fashion-type shoots outdoors in the past, part of me misses them, but the other part of me prefers the controlled environment of the studio. Some of my commercial projects are outside or on a specific location, so that's usually a fun challenge and gets us out of the house every now and then. Having to stay at home for (close to) two years has forced me to be more creative and much more carefully selective with whom I work. I have Cystic Fibrosis, so I have to be vigilant with protecting myself in these weird times.