I'm Peter Zelinka, an avid photographer, adventurer, and astrophotographer. My photography journey began in 2014 when I purchased my first DSLR camera. Within 24 hours I had taken over 1,000 photos (most of them blurry) in the backyard with a macro lens. This passion for photography has completely changed my life.
Winds of Change:
In December 2014 I graduated from Youngstown State University, and within a month I was working full-time at the local newspaper. Most of my day was spent sitting alone in a gray, windowless server room, waiting for employees to call up with computer problems. By early 2016 I knew I had to make a radical change. On June 24th, 2016 I loaded up a 2004 Chevy Classic with my backpacking gear and camera equipment and headed West. I didn't know where I would go, or when I'd return.
I spent the next 4 months living out of my car, visiting the most stunning landscapes from Colorado to Washington and down to California. Life wasn't easy, especially sleeping in the front seat of my car for so many nights, but it was an incredible experience. This adventure allowed me to capture a nice portfolio of landscape and wildlife images, and meet some interesting people along the way. You can read about my journey on my blog.
By November I was running out of money, and the long, cold nights made everything more difficult. I returned to Ohio and began working at a local camera shop - YM Camera. While I wasn't exactly a good salesman, I did learn a lot about cameras, lenses, and more.
After learning so much about camera gear, I started writing my first tutorials and articles, mainly focused on macro and long exposure photography. This experience would come in handy as I started getting more into astrophotography. Eventually I saved up enough money and began living on the road again from 2017 - 2020.
Astrophotography:
One of the perks of being a homeless wanderer is that you can find dark skies very easily and stay as long as you want! As I began to get more interested in the night sky, I found myself spending much more time in the desert. The blistering heat and endless sun were a problem, but the local libraries often provided relief (and an opportunity to edit my photos).
Each night I'd head out into the desert to see what I could capture with my DSLR and star tracker. This combo was perfect for wide-angle Milky Way photos! This eventually led to my obsession with deep space astrophotography. I wasn't getting the best images, but it was fun to see what was possible with a modest setup.
In 2018 I created the first editions of my astrophotography courses, which were designed for the average person with minimal gear. These were a big hit! Over the years I've continued to refine the courses with new techniques, better software and hardware, and more streamlined workflows. I'm happy to report that quite a few of my 'students' have been featured on APOD!
Settling Down:
On January 3rd, 2020 I embarked on my final roadtrip. I was moving to Kanab Utah, one of the best spots for astrophotography in the country. In hindsight, it's good I moved when I did. By March 2020 the world was going crazy, and a small desert community was the ideal spot to get away from everything. This turn of events killed my business plans though, no more astrophotography workshops for the foreseeable future.
After a year and half of desert life I was ready for another change, so I packed up and moved to the Pacific Northwest. The lush green forests, rainy days, and misty mountains were just what I needed! In 2024 I moved once again, this time to eastern Idaho. The winters and snowy and cold, but the dark skies are incredible.
To see even more photos head over to Instagram and YouTube