Peter Alessandria

What happens when you combine a global financial crisis with a personal mid-life crisis?

Professional photographer and former entertainment attorney, Peter Alessandria, has a unique story that has been a source of inspiration for many. When the Global Financial Crisis of 2008 robbed him of his law practice, instead of giving up, he decided to renew his life by doing what he loves: photography. Since then, Peter has amassed 63 awards and has shown his photos in dozens of solo and group exhibitions. His work has also been published nationally and internationally in newspapers, magazines and online, and he has been the subject of several print, radio, television and Internet interviews.

In 2018, Peter was featured on the Huffington Post website for a series of storm photos over New York City that show dramatic lightning strikes on the Freedom Tower. In 2016, Peter was featured on NBC TV NY’s website and social media feeds as one of their three favorite NYC Instagram photographers. His photos have been published in the New York Post (eight times), The Times of London (twice), The Daily Mirror (UK) (twice), The Daily Mail (UK), The Sun (AUS), The Daily Record (UK), The Daily Star (UK) and more. His work has also been featured on several television shows including The Weather Channel’s “It’s Amazing Out There!”, “Good Day, New York” (Fox 5 NY) (three), and LIVE With Kelly (US syndicated). National Geographic Magazine selected one of his photos as “Photo of the Day” on their website recently and his photos have been published in Digital Photo Magazine (US) (twice) and Lens Magazine (EUR)(twice). He was also a finalist in The Weather Channel’s 2016 Photo Contest and the 2015 & 2017 Empire State Building Photo Contest. And the famed New Yorker Hotel in New York City recently acquired seven (7) of his photos as part of a permanent installation at the Hotel.

In August 2017, Peter was invited to be a featured speaker at an international conference in Cartagena, Colombia, South America, to speak about his photography, his career and life in New York City. in January 2018, Peter traveled to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates as part of a team lead by Fireworks by Grucci that set a Guinness World Record for a fireworks display and also did a rooftop photo tour of the City. And in September 2018, Peter completed a photo assignment and tour of the Maldives Islands in the Indian Ocean.

Peter's first fine art photography book. “New York City Nights – Book 1” is a nighttime photographic exploration of New York and everything that makes it the World’s Greatest City. Available on Amazon or directly from the author, “New York City Nights – Book 1” contains 67 breathtaking images on 118 pages. His second fine art photography book "New York Cityscapes - Seven Top Photographers Explore the Classic Landmarks & Hidden Spaces" is scheduled for release Fall 2018.

While the decision to give up being a lawyer was difficult, and at times even scary, he has overcome the odds - and his fears - and today works as a full time fine art and commercial photographer.