Peter Parker: Photographer

**Grim Ghost** · 11-04-2014, 07:28 PM

This is a thread to discuss the long period of time Peter spent working as a photographer. Most of you know that Peter started out as a photographer as a teenager. He maintained this career for the greater part of his entire comic book career so far.

It was common for his work to be criticized due to the fact that half of the time he was having to web his camera up in a random place and hope for the best. But he seemed to be fairly good at it otherwise, he was able to get a book published and was sent on several high profile assignments around the world. The few times he took his work to other papers than the Bugle he was generally offered WAY more money. He stayed at the Bugle out of loyalty to the gang there. So it seems he had some real talent and interest in it.

I think one of the main pros to the idea of a photographer is that you have to be constantly out and about. It was easy to place Peter anywhere in New York, the country or even the entire world based on that idea. Another is that you don't have to say that Spider-Man is so much "out on patrol" at night. He's out looking for crooks yeah, but he is also looking for stuff to photograph for his living. That gives him a double incentive to be looking for trouble.

Anyway I'm not so much trying to say he should be that again (though honestly I prefer him in that role the most) as just get a discussion going about it.

**Metamorphosis** · 11-04-2014, 07:37 PM

I like the idea of Peter as photographer. I know they've done it to death. Feels like there's a lot missing now without the Bugle gang.

They could use the excuse of his interactions at the Bugle to get him caught up in a certain story or set him on the path of the villain of the month. I had an idea for a story arc where Peter becomes a police crime scene photographer. He could get into the action that way, and characters like Detective Lamont could be brought back.

**Grim Ghost** · 11-04-2014, 07:58 PM

Originally Posted by Cheesedique

I like the idea of Peter as photographer. I know they've done it to death. Feels like there's a lot missing now without the Bugle gang.

They could use the excuse of his interactions at the Bugle to get him caught up in a certain story or set him on the path of the villain of the month. I had an idea for a story arc where Peter becomes a police crime scene photographer. He could get into the action that way, and characters like Detective Lamont could be brought back.

Great point. I totally forgot to mention that the whole Peter as a photographer idea seamlessly brings in one of the strongest supporting casts around. You don't have to manufacture reasons for Peter to deal with great characters such as Jonah or Robbie in this situation. They are his bosses and he sees them all the time. I love the crime scene photog idea.

**Metamorphosis** · 11-04-2014, 10:19 PM

Originally Posted by Grim Ghost

Great point. I totally forgot to mention that the whole Peter as a photographer idea seamlessly brings in one of the strongest supporting casts around. You don't have to manufacture reasons for Peter to deal with great characters such as Jonah or Robbie in this situation. They are his bosses and he sees them all the time. I love the crime scene photog idea.

Thanks, yeah and the story idea I had gets even crazier from there.

I feel like the photographer stuff keeps Peter grounded in street-level type stories, where in recent years they've played up the more sci-fi aspects of the character. It all works, though I think I like the street-hero stuff a little better.

**jgprime** · 11-04-2014, 11:52 PM

I prefer Peter Parker the photographer to Peter Parker the scientist and CEO. If I'm not wrong I've seen quite a few issues where Peter does express interest and enthusiasm in his job as a photographer. Jonah, Robbie, Betty, Urich, all of them great supporting characters. I would have liked to see how Peter would have developed if he had gone further into journalism and photography (perhaps he should make a science publication where his talents would be greatly appreciated, now that he owns a company?)

**Heasensy32** · 11-05-2014, 05:45 AM

Spidey needs to never be a camera boy as smart and talented as he is.

**normanosborn** · 11-05-2014, 05:59 AM

It was a defining part of his professional life, but I think it's about time he had his own technology company. We are talking about a guy who built those webshooters and created the web fluid formula in his bedroom in high school.

**Vortex85** · 11-05-2014, 06:15 AM

I think Peter was a photographer for long enough. Like his high school and college years, I don't want to see him go back. Glad Slott did more for the character than that. Move along Peter!

Would be cool to see him visit the Bugle every once in a while still.

**Sparko** · 11-05-2014, 06:36 AM

Originally Posted by Cheesedique

I like the idea of Peter as photographer. I know they've done it to death. Feels like there's a lot missing now without the Bugle gang.

They could use the excuse of his interactions at the Bugle to get him caught up in a certain story or set him on the path of the villain of the month. I had an idea for a story arc where Peter becomes a police crime scene photographer. He could get into the action that way, and characters like Detective Lamont could be brought back.

I think this is a great idea. Peter a crime scene photog or possibly taking pics for some other publication, or even doing so like you might have found Garry Winogrand doing way back in the day, as a hobby, and/or professionally artistically.

It wouldn't be a horrible idea to bring Pete back behind the lens some time in the future.

**normanosborn** · 11-05-2014, 06:40 AM

I'd like to see him apply the skills he acquired as a photographer in an unrelated case, while keeping his career moving forward.

**Grim Ghost** · 11-05-2014, 06:52 AM

I never really got the whole criticism that he was somehow wasting his time being a photog. I mean there are lots of photographers that spend their whole life training and perfecting their art. Some photogs in the journalism field are looked at as being really important people who break stories that sometimes change the world.

Pete had a real talent for it, and he wasn't ever "wasting" his intelligence doing it. He used his more high end science skills fighting super villains so that aspect of him was not ever going to waste either.

I'm not slamming the idea of him doing something different like teaching or what he's doing now with the company or anything. Just arguing that his photographer job was a pretty important part of the character for most of the comic's history and I think it was a little short sighted to get rid of it.

I think it does more for the character than most other jobs you could have him doing as far as keeping him in the action and preserving his interactions with what was probably one of the strongest supporting casts in comics (the Bugle characters).

**Vortex85** · 11-05-2014, 06:52 AM

Originally Posted by normanosborn

I'd like to see him apply the skills he acquired as a photographer in an unrelated case, while keeping his career moving forward.

I could go for this as well. I don't honestly expect Peter to own his own company forever, but really, they could keep him there for a LONG time. It would be cool to see that part of his life stick around for a while, like 10-20 years (our time).

Anyway, if his company does get destroyed or he fails for some reason with that, I'd like him to keep doing scientific type stuff, or utilize his other skills more than just going back to phtography as his primary source of income. Maybe we could see him do it on the side from time to time while focusing on new things for his primary career.

**Grim Ghost** · 11-05-2014, 07:13 AM

Originally Posted by Vortex85

I could go for this as well. I don't honestly expect Peter to own his own company forever, but really, they could keep him there for a LONG time. It would be cool to see that part of his life stick around for a while, like 10-20 years (our time).

Anyway, if his company does get destroyed or he fails for some reason with that, I'd like him to keep doing scientific type stuff, or utilize his other skills more than just going back to phtography as his primary source of income. Maybe we could see him do it on the side from time to time while focusing on new things for his primary career.

Yeah I could see it working as a part time gig as well. Or maybe he could start working on another photo book.

**normanosborn** · 11-05-2014, 08:54 AM

Originally Posted by Vortex85

I could go for this as well. I don't honestly expect Peter to own his own company forever, but really, they could keep him there for a LONG time. It would be cool to see that part of his life stick around for a while, like 10-20 years (our time).

Anyway, if his company does get destroyed or he fails for some reason with that, I'd like him to keep doing scientific type stuff, or utilize his other skills more than just going back to phtography as his primary source of income. Maybe we could see him do it on the side from time to time while focusing on new things for his primary career.

Yeah. I think there's huge potential in emphasizing Peter's intelligence and keeping him in a job where he can use it, but realistically, it's probably only gonna be the status quo for the remainder of Slott's run.

**cyberhubbs** · 11-05-2014, 09:16 AM

Didn't he do crime scene photography already? For about an issue during BND, I think. Got the job through Carlie.

It's funny to see a thread like this. Not that there's anything inherently wrong with him doing photography. Just that when he did do photography for a while during BND, a lot of posters felt he could do better, and that he'd been doing it enough ever since his teenage years. Freelance might pay the bills, but it doesn't exactly help him with benefits and such.

Thread: Peter Parker: Photographer

Thread Tools

Display

Peter Parker: Photographer

Posting Permissions