Meet Peggy Dietz | Fine Art Photographer

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

Hi Peggy, how has your background shaped the person you are today?
I am from the Midwest but have lived in Colorado for the last 44 years. I am one of eight children and almost all of us have pursued some form of the arts in addition to having a career. I am the only one who pursued fine art photography and got my college degree in that field. Our parents encouraged our pursuits but required that we also have skills to survive in the work place. That advice paid off for all of us. My husband and I raised our children in Colorado, enjoying all the beauty and color it afforded. I had my own color darkroom which I used until 2006 when the cost of the chemicals/paper became too expensive. I jumped full steam into the digital world of photography, using the same principles and skills as before. Many images I dreamed to create in the chemical darkroom became a reality in the digital world. I competed in the highest category in a Photography Club for years and now I show my work in a number of Denver area galleries.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I am always looking for an angle that takes my images into a step beyond capturing the reality. Sometimes this isn’t a deliberate thought but rather a very subconscious action. In reviewing my work, I ask myself what did I see that made me take this image….the colors, the structure, the mood, the interaction of the elements. I move from that to making it visible to the observer. In a way, it is a form of communication from me to the viewer. Knowing how to make that happen is a constant journey. Has it been easy? It took much study and reflection not to mention being mindful of the technical side of photography.
It brings me much joy when a viewer understands what I tried to say in my work.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Of course, living in the Denver area, one can savor both the urban and countryside within a day. The history of Denver is so new that one is within steps of seeing how it was when it was ranches, railroad community and a stop on the way to seek a fortune in gold. I would take the visitor to Golden, Colorado and dine in one of the long-standing restaurants and walk the main drag. If it was January, I would definitely take my friend to the Western Stock Show in downtown Denver, flavoring a the old west as well as the new. Another day I would take them Downtown Denver, maybe the Art Museum Hamilton Building. I would walk parts of the Highline Canal, following the historic Platte River. And to Littleton, Colorado, itself, that hosts galleries, theatre and restaurants.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who influenced you?
I smile when I think of this question as there have been so many that encouraged me along the way. My artistic family, various teachers, my patient husband and my fellow multi media artists and friends have all fed my journey. The digital world was a quantum leap for me but with persistence, recovery from failures, success and imagination the world is open to wonderful expressions, thoughts and captures.

Website: peggy-dietz.pixels.com

Instagram: Peggy McGauley Dietz

Facebook: Peggy McGauley Dietz