Peter Simon: Photographer

Peter Simon, a nationally acclaimed photographer, died at the Martha's Vineyard Hospital on Sunday, Nov. 18. The cause was cardiac arrest. He was 71 and had been battling cancer. Since 1973, Peter had lived on Martha's Vineyard. He was a contributing photographer for the Vineyard Gazette for twelve years, and the Martha's Vineyard Times since 1984. In 1980, he published On the Vineyard (Doubleday), On the Vineyard II (Simon Press, 1990), and On the Vineyard III (Simon Press, 2000). In addition, a comprehensive retrospective of Peter Simon's life work as a handsome coffee table book, I and Eye was published by Little Brown in the Fall of 2001. Several of Peter's works, including his annual calendar are available at Massachusetts Bay Trading Company.

Among the other eight books Peter published are Decent Exposures (Wingbow Press, 1973), Carly Simon Complete (Knopf, 1975), Reggae Bloodlines (Doubleday, 1976), Playing in the Band (St. Martin's Press, 1983) and The New York Mets: 25 Years of Baseball Magic (Henry Holt, 1987).

His photographs regularly appear at the various Island galleries, including On the Vineyard Gallery, The Field Gallery and The Old Sculpin Gallery. Off-Island, he has had one-man shows at The Nikon House and Niekrug Gallery in New York, and the Kiva Gallery in Boston. A large display of Peter's landscapes can be seen at the Peter Simon Photography Gallery, in Earth's Edge Framing at 455 State Road in Vineyard Haven, which is located in the Woodland Business Center.

Peter Simon's work has been in many newspapers and magazines throughout the years, including Time, Newsweek, People, Village Voice, Atlantic Monthly, Cape Cod Life, Boston Magazine, New York Magazine, The New York Times, and Rolling Stone.