About Peter Farrar – Author, Photographer and Leadership Expert
Peter Farrar is an author of leadership and photography books, a professional photographer, and an IT leader with over 30 years of experience in management, workplace culture, and creative industries.
The Story Behind the Books
My work as a leadership practitioner, author, and photographer is grounded in two principles: a desire to understand complex systems in depth, and a responsibility to explain them in a way that is practical and usable.
These leadership and photography books bring together real-world leadership experience, workplace culture insight, and structured photography knowledge to help people achieve measurable, repeatable results.
IT Career
I began my career in technology at an early age, launching a computer sales business in my early twenties in the UK before spending 18 years in IT across the United States. During that time, I progressed to Senior Network Engineer at the US Senate and later into IT leadership and management roles.
I had the opportunity to work alongside high-profile figures including Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton, and Senator Ted Kennedy, within demanding, high-stakes environments. Returning to the UK, I continued in senior roles across organisations including global finance and defence, gaining first-hand insight into what drives performance — and what causes it to fail.
Those experiences provided a clear view of how leadership and culture operate under pressure. More importantly, they revealed what it actually takes to correct failure at scale. That understanding forms the foundation of Leadership: The Culture Fix.
Photography, Craft and Creativity
Photography developed alongside my technical career as a creative counterbalance. From early experience at the Wyvern Theatre in Swindon, teaching others, I later moved to the USA where I built a wedding and portrait photography business — founding Kenneth Light Studios in Charlotte, North Carolina.
I trained around 300 photographers in Charlotte, North Carolina, delivering structured teaching on lighting, posing, and editing workflows.
The wedding and portrait business began modestly, with early bookings priced at around $300 to $600 per 10-hour wedding. Through focused marketing, strong client experience, and disciplined business development, I scaled the business to consistently achieve $3,600 to $4,600 per wedding, alongside portrait sessions priced at $600 for a two-hour shoot.
That experience — and the frustration of there being no single, comprehensive resource — led directly to The Complete Photography Field Guide, a 538-page practical resource covering everything from camera fundamentals to building a photography business, including UK and US photography law.
Why These Books
Throughout that journey, one issue became clear: there was no single, practical resource that brought all aspects of photography together in a coherent way. Learning required multiple books, fragmented courses, and inconsistent advice.
Explore the full collection of leadership and photography books written from real-world experience.
The Complete Photography Field Guide was created to solve that problem — a single, structured resource designed to take someone from fundamentals to professional-level understanding without the need to piece information together from multiple sources.
Life Beyond Work
Peter enjoys music from the 1970s to today, live concerts, cinema and travel. His interests range from rock and pop to modern crossover country.
Leadership and IT — In Their Own Words
What colleagues and clients say about working with Peter Farrar.
"His proactiveness, leadership skills and great work ethic stand out. Peter demonstrates strong accountability and gets work done."
"Peter is an excellent team leader. He leads by example, always kept the team morale up, and is the best team leader I ever had — friendly and helpful."
"Peter is an outstanding teammate with tremendous knowledge and an unmatched work ethic. Any team would be fortunate to have him as a formal or informal leader."
"I always found him to be helpful, professional, knowledgeable and client focused. He helped me with many varied IT issues and was always quick to respond."
"I wish this had been published years ago. It brings practical leadership lessons together in one place."
Photography — Reader & Client Reviews
"This book captures years of knowledge and experience."
"Exceptionally talented and highly professional."
"Very flexible, and willing to take time to be patient with all of the guests and family. He really made me feel special."
"Peter had us laughing and acting like ourselves during the shoot. I hate having pictures taken and actually found myself feeling comfortable. We were very pleased with the final results."
"Peter had me laughing, sharing stories and completely at ease from the first call. He made the photography portion of my wedding weekend seamless."
"Peter greeted us as his own personal friends. He was extremely professional and our session was truly enchanting — he allowed my son to express a side to him I had not realised even existed."
"Peter is a very professional photographer. We had such a great time during the shoot. My sister wanted professional pictures and that's exactly what she got, plus more!"
"Peter is a great photographer. He was humble, gave direction well, and very kind. The pictures turned out great and I love the photo book. Thanks again for everything."
"I am speechless! You did an amazingly outstanding job! You're a WOW photographer and I am so glad we met. It was such a pleasure and so much fun on the shoot. Thank you so much Peter."
"Thank you for making my wedding and engagement pictures so special! I am amazed by the pictures and in awe of your artistic ability. I would recommend you for any photo shoot!"
"I couldn’t be happier with my experience! Peter did a phenomenal job not only capturing stunning digital images but also beautifully incorporating film, which added such a timeless and artistic touch. Every moment felt thoughtfully documented, and the final results exceeded my expectations. Professional, creative, and incredibly talented, I highly recommend!"
"Peter is an exceptional photographer and mentor. Having trained under him and accompanied him on numerous shoots, I have gained valuable knowledge and experience from his expertise. He consistently demonstrates a high level of professionalism, and this book is an excellent reflection of his skill and insight. It has been a privilege to learn from him and build a lasting professional relationship."
Photography Films & Client Stories
A selection of real projects, behind-the-scenes work and client experiences.
Studio Portrait Fashion Timelapse
Engagement Love Story
Wedding Couple Testimonial
Need a Portrait?
Studio and location photography sessions in Basingstoke, Hampshire.
Read the Books
Five published books on leadership, culture, and photography.