About
Pete Mather
PPOC-accredited photographer based in Thornbury, Ontario. Pete shoots aerial and exterior property, commercial and tourism work across South Georgian Bay, and flies drones on a Transport Canada certificate.
Pete Mather is a commercial photographer based in Thornbury, Ontario, working across South Georgian Bay: Collingwood, The Blue Mountains, Wasaga Beach, Meaford, Clarksburg and Creemore.
He photographs properties for the agents and owners selling them — farms, estates, chalets and shoreline acreage, from the air and from the ground outside — and resorts, clubs and tourism operators marketing the region. The drones go up on a Transport Canada RPAS pilot certificate. He is accredited by the Professional Photographers of Canada in 7 categories and holds the Master of Photographic Arts designation. Landscape and wildlife images hang in the portfolio and sell as prints; the work that gets booked is commercial.
The photographer
It started with a 35mm camera and a darkroom class.
Pete bought his first 35mm camera about 35 years ago and took photography as a school elective, learning the darkroom and the kinds of shots a camera can be pushed to make. The knack for seeing a composition came early, and the gear has stayed close at hand ever since.
Everything after that class has been self taught. He is a member of The Bay Photography Club of Collingwood, and joined the Professional Photographers of Canada to learn from other photographers and push his own work further.
In his own words
“Many have told Pete that he has a great eye for capturing unique shots with a WOW factor. Also when people see his images, they think they are looking at a painting. Pete is honoured by that thought.”
Artist’s statement
The judged record
Work assessed against a national standard.
To earn accreditation, a photographer submits a body of work in a chosen class to the PPOC's Board of Examiners, who judge it on vision, impact, composition and technical merit. It's also how membership starts: the first accreditation is what makes someone a PPOC member.
0
PPOC accreditations held
0
Nationally accepted images
0+
Years behind the camera
Master of Photographic Arts
The MPA is an honour the PPOC bestows on members who have shown exceptional photographic ability and a sustained commitment to the profession, over a minimum of five years. It isn’t earned from a single image or a course.
National Loan Collection
Two of Pete’s nationally accepted images scored in the Excellent category, and both were taken into the PPOC National Loan Collection.
Exhibited in China
The PPOC National Judging Committee selected four of his images for the China International Display of Photography in October 2015, alongside nine other photographers from across Canada.
Why local matters
The light here has a schedule. Pete knows it.
Knowing when the harbour goes calm, when the escarpment holds its colour and when a listing's west windows catch the sun is the difference between a shot list and a good gallery.
Living inside the service area also keeps scheduling honest: weather windows can be used the day they appear.
He also holds a Transport Canada Basic Operations pilot certificate for drone flight, and carries $1,000,000 in liability insurance through a provider the PPOC recommends to its members.
Keep reading
What Pete shoots, and where.
Talk through a project with Pete.
Call 519-599-3855, or send the details through the contact page.