PETER ALESSANDRIAWhat happens when you combine a global financial crisis with a personal mid-life crisis? "In 2004, I picked up a real camera for the first time. It was a professional model - the kind with interchangeable lenses and an optical viewfinder you could se through. Suddenly, all I wanted to do was take pictures. In the first two years I fired off over 100,000 shots. And when I wasn't taking pictures, I was on the Internet communicating with other people about taking pictures. I was in my 40's and had finally found my passion. 2008 was the year the Financial Crisis hit. I had been working as an entertainment attorney in Los Angeles for nearly twenty years. I didn't love what I was doing but the money was good. As a result of the global financial meltdown however, I lost 100% of my business. Instead of wallowing in despair (OK - there were a few moments of wallowing), I decided to take a chance and turn my love of photography into a full-time job. It was only by losing my law business and being confronted with what to do next that I decided to do what I love. It was a huge risk, YET I HAVEN'T LOOKED BACK. That's not to say it's been easy. I have often doubted my decision (while supportive, I am sure most of my family & friends think I am crazy for leaving the lucrative world of the law behind). And it turns out there's a lot more to running a successful business than passion and creativity. But now I love what I do and could never imagine going back to doing anything that doesn't arouse passion, creativity and joy in me. I hope my story inspires others to follow their dreams and to live a passion-filled life. If it took a global financial meltdown and mid-life crisis to get here, I'm all for it." ARTIST'S BIOGRAPHY Peter was born and raised in New York City and Long Island. After attending law school, he moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career as an entertainment attorney. Today he is an award-winning internationally-published, fine art, portrait and commercial photographer based in the New York City area. Peter spent the first part of his work life as an entertainment and intellectual property attorney in Los Angeles. Working in the film and television industries sparked his own interest in creativity and in the early 2000's he began working with digital video and became an amateur filmmaker. But it wasn't until he picked up a digital SLR still camera for the first time in 2004, that his full creative passion for image-making came into being. Like many people, things changed dramatically for Peter in 2008. That year, as a result of the Global Financial Crisis, he lost his law practice. In the days and weeks that followed he struggled with the question of what to do with the rest of his life. It was only after much deliberation that he decided to follow his passion for photography, and in late 2009, he began pursuing photography full-time. Peter finds inspiration mostly in the work of other photographers - and not necessarily the famous ones. Rather, it is his peers, many of whom he connects with on social media, that inspire Peter to go out and try new things or shoot in new locations. This connecting with others has helped fuel his creativity greatly over the last several years. As both a photographer and filmmaker Peter's intent is simple: create compelling images that appeal to his own sense of beauty and aesthetics. His goal is to use his art - and his life - to inspire others. He shares his photos in the hopes of touching people's hearts and minds in positive and uplifting ways. See all Peter's work and read more about his story on his websites and Social Media pages: Read More Read Less