Your Instructor

John Peltier

Owner & Instructor

I'm an Air Force veteran and pilot by trade, having flown the F-15E for nearly ten years, including 114 combat missions in Afghanistan. Then in a major life change, I bought a 27-foot sailboat and sailed from North Carolina to the Caribbean over a few years.

My journey as a professional documentary photographer also started on that adventure, networking with important nonprofits that desperately needed photography to get their message out. I've completed photodocumentary projects for several humanitarian & environmental nonprofits & NGOs around the world since 2014. 

I teach in-person photography lessons in between documentary trips, and the continuous demand for lessons led me to start offering online lessons. It has been a joy to make these classes available to everyone. 

Lake Tahoe has been my official home since 1990, where I enjoy backpacking, skiing, snowshoeing, diving, and volunteering on an alpine search & rescue team.

You may view my photography portfolio here.

Podcast Interviews

Projects & Publications

Organizations:
Photographers Without Borders • The Washoe Tribe of Nevada and California • Otra Cosa Network (Peru) • X-Suba Sport4Development Uganda • The Good Samaritan Foundation of Haiti • National Pony Express Association • The Giving Lens • Unlocking Silent Histories (Guatemala) • El Fenn Maroc (Morocco) • California Tahoe Conservancy • League to Save Lake Tahoe • Clean Up The Lake • Tahoe Rim Trail Association • Truckee Donner Land Trust • Northern Sierra Partnership • Eno River Association • Triangle Land Conservancy

Publications:
U.S. National Park Service • Travel Nevada • Discover Dominica Authority • Truckee Chamber of Commerce • New York Magazine • San Francisco Chronicle • Los Angeles Times • Nevada Magazine • London Daily Telegraph • American Geophysical Union Eos Magazine • Tahoe Quarterly • Tahoe Daily Tribune • Air Force Magazine • Air Force Times