About Bill Peterson

For Bill it was always cameras, salt water and sailboats from the beginning. At 22 he paused a budding TV news photographer career to “sail away” with some pals aboard his (1901) sailing Skipjack “Freddie”. That footloose, high times adventure ended abruptly when the boat was stolen during a short absence, by a vacuum cleaner salesman no less, and wrecked on the outer banks of North Carolina.

Marooned ashore once more, news photography transitioned into commercial film production which inspired him to form Colony Productions & Studios. Our photographer/cinematographer, soon morphed into Director/Cinematographer for his new shop and began creating astonishingly national caliber work on local and regional budgets. Competing with the best all over the world, his reputation grew rapidly; Colony’s productions began winning in renowned film festivals and competitions across the country, highlighted by his garnering of three CLIOs, and crowned with the most coveted national commercial award of all: the CLIO for Best Cinematography.

Bill’s grasp of communicating with motion made him the most highly acclaimed regional Director/Cinematographer in the US today. Uniquely recognized when his artistically conceived commercial, for the National Agricultural Foundation went on to be displayed in the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. Bill described his concept, “I didn’t want to see the wind, I wanted to be the wind,” which inspired the resulting heretofore unseen camera motion, wisping you cinematically weightless through an Abandoned Farm aboard Colony’s invention of a floating free motion camera arm. Honing his creative photographic and directorial style, on locations from coast to coast he's created, designed and lensed international productions, gubernatorial campaigns, magazine and fashion photography print shoots, museum exhibitions of his still photography and long form film productions, epitomized by the 28-minute masterpiece “And You May Find... Virginia,” seen by millions in theaters nationally, and voted the best travel film in the U.S., receiving First Place in the National Outdoor Film Theatre.

Today Bill is aboard Colony II* massaging pixels from his latest shoot, plotting the next image capture and enthusiastically exploring the new digital frontier of photography. Bill said, "Welcome to Peterson Galleries, I'm here with my first love, exploring photography and making films, thanks to a host of wonderful clients, dear friends, great crews and support facilities, dedicated actors and loved ones with whom I've been so privileged to share the ride thus far. "

*Colony II is a 51' William Garden designed traditional sailing ketch.