Meet Andrew Peschong | Photographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Andrew Peschong and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Andrew, why did you pursue a creative career?
Growing up, I was always drawn to a few clear things; the outdoors, computers, and music. Through high school, I naturally pursued these avenues but wasn’t really sure why. Perhaps I was too young to think more about the big picture and simply did what felt right. I spent all my time outdoors camping, skiing, or anything I could get my hands on. I built computers and was on them in any free time I had in which I wasn’t outside. In my high school and college, the band program was extremely well-regarded and a popular activity for the majority of folks – it’s what you did. So I played lead trumpet in each aspect of the band – marching, concert, and jazz. Little did I know what I was getting myself into to start a lifelong creative passion.

Leaving school and, therefore, a lot of music, I suddenly had a “creative void” that I didn’t know what to do with. What I later discovered was that in order to succeed in a lot of “analytical” activities such as computers and math, which I still did – you needed to have a creative side that allowed you to think outside of the box and exercise that matching part of the brain. It’s why “range” is so popular, and “specialization” will only get you so far. For the real problems and to keep yourself in motion, you need that other, creative half. So fast forward a few years while I was working full-time in computers, I stumble upon photography. A light bulb goes off, and it hits me that photography fits perfectly into my existing hobbies and can be as creative as you make it.

Perfect.

My technical background, paired with my semi-related creativity through music, matches extremely well into the photography space. My life blooms – it’s like a fish in water. Learning *any* new hobby is fun, but it’s especially fun when you’re good at it and there’s plenty to learn. One becomes two, and I double down on myself to eat up absolutely anything and everything I can related to my newfound passion – photography. “You can never connect the dots going forward, only backward” Steve Jobs said, and I agree – looking back at my life, the clues were always there. I skateboarded a lot and was the “video guy” recording our hijinks around the town. But I’m a big fan of following your passions and discovering them constantly, which I would highly recommend to anyone.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
When I first moved to South Dakota, I had the typically reaction that most folks have when they step foot here: we have a lot of flat land, farmland, cattle, and it’s pretty open. You’d sure think that was about it and there wasn’t much to see. Well, you’d be wrong. The more you explore the corners of the state, especially one of our large National Parks, the more you are surprised at both the variety and impact of each, individual place. And your perception of South Dakota is totally changed.

Bingo. That’s my art.

I primarily want to showcase the beauty of the state, to show that we are much, much more than your typical first impression. What sets me apart from others is that anyone can take a photo or document a scene, but with my technical and outdoor expertise, I can go much further and turn that scene into a beautiful, timeless work of art that engages the audience. And that takes a lot in all regards, it’s not easy to do.

There were many challenges along the way, primarily everything you don’t hear about on social media and what would be called “less glamorous”. Starting out in a new field with a wealth of information and specialties, it is hard to know where to start and additionally, where to go. It’s all the dark nights watching presentations at home and going through training that you may or may not use. It’s the dark nights editing photos that you know will not be “good,” or at least what your creative vision is, but you have to walk before you can run, and you’re doing the best you can. It’s the overwhelming information and just wanting to set it all down and walk away, but you know you can’t because your soul is calling. But, in all this journey, you keep moving forward with both yourself and your supporters along the way. That’s the artist’s journey.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
For a full tour of South Dakota, you’d definitely want to pop around the state a bit. The eastern half of SD showcases the beauty of the great plains – endless farmland and pure, fresh air. A hidden gem is Palisades State Park, which features beautiful pink quartzite towers shooting out of the water, surrounded by pink quartz cliffs on all sides throughout the river. Totally unexpected anywhere, especially in a bunch of farmland. Pair that with Devils Gulch, where Jesse James famously jumped across the cliffs. It’s a deeper, more intimate version of Palisades that is ripe to explore. You can’t miss Sioux Falls’ namesake park, Falls Park in downtown. Waterfalls and old mills, with a big lookout tower, running right through downtown Sioux Falls and you can walk along/across the whole thing. It’s really worth seeing and spending time at.

Leaving eastern South Dakota, you would certainly want to hit one of our National Parks – Badlands National Park. It’s otherworldly. And that’s not an exaggeration – many people say it’s like walking on the moon. It contains one of the world’s richest fossil beds, nestled between all sorts of colorful bedrock layers that span from red to yellow. Spires, caves, and canyons make you forget that you’re on earth.

Traveling to the western side of the state, the Black Hills are a treasure. Mount Rushmore is the typical sight to see, highly recommended, then Custer State Park with its large herd of large bison, and other wildlife straddling the terrain between the plains and mountains.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would love to give a shoutout to the entire photography community and everyone that’s ever left a nice comment or purchased a print, especially the great folks in eastern South Dakota who are so welcoming and encouraging to new folks in the scene. Outside of the area, a few people have been pivotal friends and casual mentors in offering needed advice and just being generally awesome – Brie Stockwell, Alyce Bender, Dave Shaw, and Linda Nickell. And of course everyone I’ve met and gotten to know on each trip, shoot, or presentation.

Website: https://evermor.online

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/evermor.photography/

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/evermor

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ajpeschong

Image Credits
none required – they’re my images.