Visionary Artist
Peter Zander
On the one hand, the chores on a small organic farm in New England are exhausting and unique. On the other hand, they are beautifully evocative of the highs, lows and ordinary mid-range that we all share in our daily lives. -Peter Zander on “Farm Life”
Peter Zander is a lifestyle photographer based in New York who specializes in capturing intimate and emotional images of people in a variety of settings and locales. One of his passions is capturing images of life on small, family farms.
“This is a subject that is very dear to my heart. Small farms produce food of both quality and flavor. I suppose it comes from the time I spent in Europe where regions are known for and create real flavors,” says Zander. 
His images remind the viewer to consider what sustains us physically (where our food comes from) and the small things that might nourish us in a more spiritual way; for example, the beauty of an upturned face in the rain; a child nuzzling a duck; the deliciousness of a slice of pizza eaten at the fair. Photographs that he has taken of family farms in New England are indeed intimate, simple and reverent: a contemplative farmer, a velvety-looking bovine lumbering through a pasture, the surprising enormity of a living hog and the chef in his whites and apron chasing after his chickens. Zander is hopeful that the tide is turning back toward the smaller farm and away from corporate farming.
“I believe it is starting to happen here; that people are becoming educated to both flavor and health. And from that burgeoning knowledge, a demand is beginning to spur production. The farms struggle, but perhaps they can survive—perhaps.”
Zander, who also works as an advertising photographer, began taking pictures of his family and friends in intimate and truthful ways. He showed these pictures to art directors and art buyers and found they elicited real excitement. They also brought him work. He always had an appreciation for nature, having grown up in (what was then) the woods of Westchester County, New York. He attended Utah State University, graduating Cum Laude with awards and a B.F.A in photography. Returning to New York City, he began his professional education assisting fashion photography greats Deborah Turbeville, Uli Rose and John Stember and soon found work in the mid-1980s shooting for GQ, and the clothing store Ann Taylor. Trips to Europe followed and contracts with Italian Marie Claire, and Italian Men’s Bazaar. In the early 1990s, he settled down with his longtime love, Nancy Condon, and began a family. When his first daughter, Ella, came into the world, he realized the sometimes superficial nature of his medium and career. The birth of his daughter also helped him see that beauty resides in the heart first. Images such as those in Zander’s series “Farm Life” convey that message in sublime and subtle ways. 
Peter Zander lives with his wife, two daughters and 60 ducks in Katonah, New York. Please visit his website www.peterzander.com He is represented nationally by www.virtutalent.com. -LO
All photos Farm Life , © Peter Zander
