Charles Peterson (photographer)

Charles Peterson (born 1964 in Longview, Washington) is an American photographer well known for his work with the independent record label Sub Pop. His photos are presented in the movie Kurt Cobain: About a Son. Charles is known for depicting the rise of the Northwest music scene in the late 1980s to early 1990s, and for his trademark full-frame, non-cropped image. Reviews about his work include the following, "Peterson is known for his action-packed, sometimes partially blurred black-and-white shots taken with a wide-angle lens. Peterson himself has said, ""The Seattle audiences were entertaining. I didn't want to just get a head shot of the lead singer. I wanted to get the experience, make you actually feel like you're there. ... I like the composition part of shooting. The way my eyes and brain work together -- I'm constantly composing with or without a camera."

Peterson's introduction to photography was as a youngster watching his uncle developing film. He attended Bothell High and his photographs were in the school newspaper and yearbook. His livelihood today mainly comes from licensing his photographs and books. He does some commercial shoots but does not photograph many bands.

He lives in Seattle with his wife, son Felix and daughter Leica.

• Touch Me I'm Sick, by Jennie Boddy (Author), Eddie Vedder (Author, Introduction), Charles Peterson (Photographer)(PowerHouse, 2003)
• Screaming Life : A Chronicle of the Seattle Music Scene, Charles Peterson (Author, Photographer) (Harper Collins, 1995)
• Pearl Jam: Place/Date, Charles Peterson (Author), Lance Mercer (Author) (Rizzoli/Vitalogy, 1997)
• Cypher, Jeff Chang (Author), Charles Peterson (Photographer), (PowerHouse Books 2008)

• Chrysler Museum of Art , Norfolk Virginia, February–May 2005
• Seattle's Experience Music Project (EMP)
• Galerie Chappe, Paris "Kurt Cobain, About A Son" November 2008
• Experiencing Nirvana (2014) Camden, UK

• "Charles Peterson : Come as you are : Seattle's Rock Legacy". Soulcatcher. Retrieved 29 October 2016. 
• "Everybody loves out town 21 April 2011". grungebook. Retrieved 30 October 2016. 
• "Exposition de Kurt Cobain "About a son"". Agence Germaine Pire. Retrieved 29 October 2016. 
• "Experiencing Nirvana 29 April 2014". L'oeil de la photographie. Retrieved 30 October 2016. 

• All apologies : Kurt Cobain 10 years (2006)
• The Last 48 hours of Kurt Cobain (2007)
• Seven ages of rock (2007)
• Hype! (1996)
• Photographs were used in Cobain : Montage of Heck (2015)

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