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Joel Peters is a self-taught photographer, videographer and content creator who, over the last few years, has been developing his craft and creating memorable moments for individuals, corporate clients and brands. This Morvant boy is a perfectionist and is on a mission to create his own niche while becoming better than the day before. He told us that the challenges he experienced, only deepened his resolve to achieve more.

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I was born and raised in Morvant in a single parent home without the presence of my father. My uncles, aunt and mother did all in their power to ensure that I had a fairly comfortable childhood. We may not have had many material possessions, but we certainly had a lot of love.  There was a lot of laughter and joy mixed with some unhappy moments. Growing up, my mom had to work two and three jobs at a time to ensure that our basic needs were met. This made it difficult to form a real relationship with her because she wasn’t there, especially through the difficult times and the younger years. As I grew older and realized how the world works, in terms of generating an income and spending time with loved ones, I realised that while I must be financially stable, I must also make time to forge deep and meaningful relationships with my loved ones.

Gifts given with love

When I was 8 or 9 years old, my uncle gave me a camera. A disposable one with film to develop at a photo shop. Remember those days? I can remember that particular day like it was yesterday. After receiving it, I would run around the house and the yard, capturing anything and everything. Thinking about it in my older years, still makes me smile.

Years later, a former girlfriend, also gave me a camera. This deepened the passion and love I had for photography. After receiving this camera, I started researching and began learning photography on YouTube. My friends, Shannon and Keenan also took me under their wing and I became like an apprentice to them. In my early 20s, after learning as much as I could about photography and videography, I joined a group of guys who were building their name in this content generation and memory creation field. The experience with this group, has been beyond words and the memories I have, can fill many photo albums and flash drives.

I was in awe

Over the years, I continued to develop my skills in this area so I could become more proficient and relevant. My growth provided me with the opportunity to work with many small businesses, large companies and big brands in Trinidad and Tobago. I even travelled to other Caribbean countries and South America. I am happy that my passion and career have allowed me to meet and interact with a wide cross section of individuals. Travel for me might have never happened so frequently if it wasn’t for my cameras. I remember when I travelled to Brazil to cover the Red Bull Neymar Jr 5 vs 5 football competition. I came off the plane and stood there in awe and excitement as this guy from Morvant, is in Brazil, taking photos and videos of the one of the best footballers of our time. Photography has zero limitations and I have realised that the world is a huge place. Looking through my lens, has allowed me that pleasure.

These challenges helped me to appreciate the successes

However, as a young entrepreneur, there are challenges and obstacles along the journey. Working long hours at your day job then heading to other jobs while operating with limited equipment and what you can afford (at the time) are some of the challenges you encounter and must learn how to cope with. Not to mention, using any available free time to continually develop your craft. Then there are the many sleepless nights. All these were part of the journey and were essential for me as I navigated this world. These challenges also helped me to appreciate the successes I have had and resolve to continue pushing forward to achieve greater success. My desire to improve myself and become better than I was the day before, remain at the forefront of my mind as I build and develop my business.

Being a professional, especially in the creative sector can be a constant battle. Quite often, I beat myself up, always thinking about what next? What do I do to diversify? What should I do differently to reach another target audience or should I remain the same and continue to satisfy my existing clients? COVID-19 and its impact, also heightened this anxiety.

But even with the lows and challenges, I will encourage anyone who has a passion for photography and videography to join this amazing field. But you must learn and develop your own unique style. It is good to look at others to carve your path but after a while, you must create your own style and brand and differentiate yourself from others. Also, take it from me, don’t think too much about your future. You will never know how the decisions you make today, can affect your future. Try to live in the now while developing road maps ever so often but don’t get carried away, obsessing about the future. Just trust that God is in control of your blueprint.

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Joel is the Director of JPeters Images. You can connect with him on IG via: @jpiweddingcollection, @jpetersimages_corporate and @teddysrp.