peters house

Access to some of the photos I take can be limited. I've grown accustom to rejection and learned the art of patience and repetition. It took me four months before a business owner would even talk to me. It's been another three trying to convince him me and my camera are not a threat. Whenever I get turned down, I just remind myself it's a not a sprint, it's a marathon.

Working for newspapers, getting permission to take pictures was a breeze. When you're working on a personal documentary project the subjects always want to know why. Why do you want to take pictures? Why are you interested? Its part of the territory but I don't know if I still have a perfected response. I just try to explain my project and tell them I enjoy taking pictures of my neighborhood.

The above is why I approach bureaucracy with apprehension and prepare for questions when I ask to photograph something on the radar. However, I couldn't believe it when I was easily given permission to explore the old Peters House restoration at the corner of Piedmont and Ponce. I typed an email and was allowed in the next day. I'm grateful to Bob, the overseer, and his crew.

I'm planning an audio slideshow, so I don't want to say too much yet, but the 120 year old building is one of the few remaining mansions than once loomed over downtown/midtown. It's in the process of restoration and is set to reopen in October as a literature facility for Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD). The process is amazingly meticulous and things like original tile and wood molding are being painstakingly redone by hand.