DP Peterson Shoots Beauty Campaign with ZEISS Supreme Zoom Radiance

Tell us a bit about your journey to cinematography and to creating BP40 Creative.

I’ve always been a hustler—and I think you have to be to make it as a cinematographer. I started in animation, making flip books as a kid. I was into drawing, painting, and sculpting, but mostly I focused on getting skin tones and shading right. That led me to pay close attention to lighting early on. I made animated videos, claymations, and learned how to use Adobe Flash… In high school, I started shooting wedding videos and that grind turned into a small business. I hustled enough to buy my first Mercedes while still in school.

I played college basketball on scholarship at Kennesaw State. Initially I majored in art but balancing that with travel was tough and I switched to business marketing, focusing on advertising. My first job after graduating was at an agency in Atlanta, where I worked as a DIT, then as editor. Eventually I moved up to be the DP and part-owner of that agency before branching out to start BP40 Creative in 2018.

With BP40 I wanted to have my own equipment, instead of depending on rental houses whenever there were last minute changes. In 2018, I owned just a Blackmagic Ursa Mini Pro, Canon EF Zooms, and a set of Angenieux EZ zooms. Now seven years later, I’ve collected a million dollars’ worth of gear, including my favorite primes, the Zeiss Supreme Radiance Primes. I’ve gotten to shoot with those lenses all over the world.

What is your philosophy behind owning your own gear?

My slogan is: “Prepared for Action.” A lot of my commercial work happens last-minute—sometimes I only have a day’s notice before flying to Argentina or Germany. Owning my gear means I don’t waste time at rental houses. Financially, the choice made sense too. I was renting so much early on that I realized I could have literally just bought the gear instead.

Lenses hold their value, a lot like high end watches. Provided they are designed with quality craftsmanship, a well-made lens should not depreciate over time. Most lenses have a high price tag, and you don’t necessarily rent them (as part of a kit) for an appreciable percentage. It might take 3-5 years for a set to earn back what you paid for them. But, as a creative, it’s great to have the equipment that you like most available to you at any time.

What drew you to Zeiss Supreme Zoom Radiance?

I’ve been wanting to get a set of top-notch zooms, so when Jean-Marc Bouchut (Zeiss Head of Cinema Sales, Americas) told me about the Supreme Radiance Zooms– I thought, “This is really cool!”

The Supreme Radiance Primes are among my favorite lenses. They have a complex flare, and at certain focal lengths, like the 29mm radiance, have an amber to it that I really like. The primes have their own almost blockbuster look built in, with how they achieve specific warm skin tones and cool shadows. Also, I don’t think I’ve tested any other lenses that can hold contrast even when wide open at T-1.5 and still achieve such controllable, beautiful flares.

A zoom with the Radiance look intrigued me. We had a beauty campaign for ORS coming up that seemed like the perfect fit. I told Roary Wilder (of The Wilder Agency) that I have the unique opportunity to test the upcoming SRZ that have the same beautiful look as the primes that we have used for his previous projects. He responded very positively to the idea of having the flexibility of zoom lenses. Roary also loves experimenting and trying new technology so he was excited about the opportunity to be among the first productions to use them. 

Tell us about the shoot.

It was a campaign for ORS Hair Care’s new line of lavender-based skin and hair care products. The models had their hair braided by Xia Charles–an Instagram-famous braider with half a million followers. She is one of the best. We planned a photo shoot in conjunction with video, with a total of one day in the studio to capture both.

Our chosen location had an open warehouse layout with large open windows. The shoot combined video and photography, with one setup using a backdrop where we dialed in a lavender color using Creamsource Vortex8 lights.

What was your experience shooting the project with these lenses?

We shot entirely on the Supreme Radiance Zooms, mostly using the 28-80mm and 70-200mm. Since we were living on a jib, we didn’t have time to swap lenses, but I didn’t feel the need to. My first AC, Nick Ray, controlled zoom and focus. When you time a zoom with a camera move—whether panning, tilting, or tracking—it becomes almost invisible, which adds to the feel of the shot.

Throughout this project we combined zooms with jib moves. I love on camera zooms. It is important to have a high-quality lens so as not to end up with distortion or vignetting that can destroy the shot as you zoom. For some of the most dynamic shots on this project (where the models are walking the length of the studio) we used the full zoom range, from 70mm to 200mm. The model would start at the end of the hallway, about 50 feet from the camera, and walk up and under the lens where we would end tight on the braids at minimum focus. We used minimum focus for shots of the hair while it was being braided too, and I like that it gave us a macro feel.

How did the Radiance Zooms handle flares compare to the primes?

They held up surprisingly well. I was especially impressed with the 70-200mm—the flares at 70mm were beautiful. At 200mm, they turned into these giant orbs. The 28-80mm had nice flares, though I was hoping for something closer to the 29mm prime, which has my favorite Radiance flare. But both zooms matched well in color and character without any grading.

The Radiance Zooms are the most unique zoom lenses I’ve used. Zooms usually lean clinical, but these have texture, depth, and character while maintaining control. They feel like an extension of the Supreme Radiance primes, just with more flexibility. I’m excited to use them again—maybe even on my next feature. 

Did you doing anything particular to enhance the flares?

Normally, I’d use the sun, but it was cloudy that day. We had a brief window of sunlight, so we rushed the models into place when it appeared. For controlled flares, I used a Nanlite Forza 720B with a 10-inch Fresnel lens. That approximates sunlight well and makes it easy to ping the lens for consistent flares. The Radiance lenses don’t need much help—they flare naturally without resorting to gimmicks.

Anything else about your process working with Crew and Client?

I try to keep things light and positive on set, even though the setup phase is always a bit stressful. Once everything is rolling, I focus on creating an environment where people feel comfortable experimenting. For this shoot, the models were working with a jib and a zoom lens—something they weren’t used to. I showed them playback, which helped them understand the movement and get even more engaged.

A lot of clients hire me because they trust me to bring something new to the table. I like having that creative freedom, whether it’s pushing the limits of a lens, experimenting with lighting, or capturing a unique moment.