Donations help Peter’s book see the light of day
His book, entitled The Irish Light, was made possible by the fundraising medium of crowdsourcing, whereby a large pool of people contribute relatively small sums of money to collectively aid a project.
Convinced there was a market for a book of his photographs despite rejections from publishing houses that the current climate didn’t bode well for such a venture, Peter was forced to consider other funding methods: “As soon as I found Kickstarter, I knew I’d got the perfect fundraising vehicle,” he explained.
“By asking for small donations from a large group of people in return for rewards such as signed prints and photographic workshops, no one was risking their money.
“If I didn’t raise the full amount required no money changed hands, so it was also a great way of predicting the success of my book. If not enough people backed me, it was probably not going to sell anyway.”
His book turned out to be the third most successful photographic Kickstarter project ever, raising its reserve fund of €8,500 within 48 hours and reaching over €30,000 by the close four weeks later, some 358% over the amount initially requested.
The additional funds enabled Peter to finance an extended print run and reach a wider audience.
“A total of 341 people responded, mostly internationally based, which wasn’t really a surprise to me as the book would probably appeal to ex-pats living abroad with an interest in Ireland. The majority of people pledged between €50 and €60,” he said.
In return for financial support, the vast majority of funders did want something in return — either a signed copy of the book or participation in one of Peter’s photography workshops. “Many who live outside Ireland plan on visiting here sometime in the future and will arrange with me when to take the workshop,” he said.
He has also been awarded a fellowship from the Irish Professional Photographers Association on the strength of the collection.
His love of photography was first kindled by a toy camera given to him by his parents when he was five.
It was many years later after a 10-year stint as a senior computer systems engineer in the US, that he returned home with the determination to turn his hobby into a career.
He became a full-time landscape photographer in 2005 and two years later moved to Ballingeary, Co Cork. In early 2011, he fulfilled his lifelong ambition of opening his own gallery in Killarney, Co Kerry, a short distance from his father’s home town. He employs three people, part-time, during the summer.
The idea for his book came from “seeing endless examples of flat, stereotypical Irish landscape photography of blue skies and grazing sheep”. He went to extreme lengths to find those photographs he felt best captured Ireland’s individual character. “The front cover image alone was five years in the making.
“I returned to the same point every time a storm hit just wishing for the right conditions. I’ve also spent many hours hanging out of the side of helicopters and perching on the edge of 30-metre high rocks in the stormy Atlantic Ocean waiting for the optimum shot.”
“Because the workshops that I run coincide with the busiest time of the year, I rely very heavily on my staff to keep the gallery running smoothly.”
Already looking to the future, Peter Cox is deep into the planning stage of his next project: “I am very keen to do another book. While this current book is a compilation of work that has been built up over the last seven years, I do have a few ideas that I’m very interested in pursuing.”
Despite the challenging economic circumstances, he sees further expansion in the years ahead.
“I would be very keen to open a second gallery at some stage in the future, it’s definitely part of my long-term plan,” he said. “I am, however, conscious of walking before I can run, and want to further establish Killarney.”
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