24

Peter Parker, the Amazing Spider-Man, has been a photographer for the Daily Bugle newspaper since he was about 15 or 16 years old. The paper has paid a lot of money to him over the years for many of his shots of superhuman action, particularly of Spider-Man.

Considering Peter's abilities often give him a very distinct perspective in his images, and some very rare footage, these pictures are unique. Such pictures would usually win, or at least be submitted for, various awards in publishing, if not at least bring the Daily Bugle some notoriety as the paper which most often gets these interesting photos. This should then have the effects of:

  • Increasing Peter Parker's demand or reputation as a professional photographer
  • Upping his profile, which should make his pictures themselves highly sought after

As such, I wondered: In canon, has Peter Parker ever won any major awards for his photography over the years?

Has he at least ever been considered for such accolades in canon?

Given his massive collection of hero and villain shots, has he ever been asked to do a gallery showing, or create a photo collection or book?

I ask because, given the current online culture, this would be a way for him to bring in some supplementary cash, as well as show that he's gotten recognition for his years of professional work.

Improve this question
3
  • 3
    Wouldn't it be up to J. Jonah Jameson to decide whether to submit Parker's work for prize consideration?
    – Zeiss Ikon
    Sep 28, 2020 at 16:54
  • I am sure Jimmy Olsen is a better photographer.
    – user931
    Sep 28, 2020 at 22:19
  • 3
    @UmbrellaCorporation That ain't nothing but some corporate slander right there. Yeah, Jimmy has hit it big in recognition due to his pictures of superman....that death of Superman shot after the battle with Doomsday made world wide news. But Parker was literally in New York for 9/11, and as we all know, Marvel's New York is like, the central HUB for super criminal activity. So it's not a matter of one being "better" than the other....though with his spider Powers, I'd again give Peter an edge on Jimmy.... it;s more about getting access to those big scoops.
    – Russhiro
    Sep 28, 2020 at 22:24

2 Answers 2

Reset to default
27

As mentioned in Jenayah's answer, Peter apparently won a Pulitzer Prize for a photo of Sentry, hailed by Time Magazine as "The most influential image of the decade."

Sentry: Spider-Man #1

enter image description here

enter image description here

enter image description here

enter image description here

In the mid '70s, he was also nominated as photographer of the year, but ultimately lost out to someone else.

Giant-Size Super-Heroes #1

enter image description here

enter image description here

Not long after, he was said to have been nominated for "last year's Newsguild Award", which he apparently "almost won". However, given the timing -- relative to his nomination for photographer of the year -- the similar result, and the fact that the issues in question were all scripted by Gerry Conway, it's possible these nominations were one and the same.

Either way, he certainly gained some renown among other journalists, such as Carol Danvers (Ms. Marvel/Captain Marvel) and Lois Lane, as a result of being nominated for the Newsguild Award. (I don't believe the first Superman/Spider-Man crossover is considered canon anymore, but thought the scene worth referencing, as it seemed like a deliberate nod to then-current continuity.)

Ms. Marvel Vol 1 #1

enter image description here

enter image description here

Superman vs. the Amazing Spider-Man #1

enter image description here

enter image description here

In the late '80s, the Daily Bugle published a book, titled Webs, collecting many of the Spider-Man photos Peter had taken over the years. To promote the book, he attended book signings and television interviews about it, including an appearance on The Tonight Show, with Johnny Carson.

Amazing Spider-Man Vol 1 #304

enter image description here

enter image description here

Amazing Spider-Man Vol 1 #305

enter image description here

enter image description here

That said, not everyone was impressed by Peter's photography. In particular, Daily Bugle city editor, Kate Cushing, was critical of the composition of Peter's shots. And her criticism was likely not without foundation, considering that Peter captured most of his Spidey photos by webbing his camera to a wall and leaving it on automatic, while he battled foes in front of it.

Web of Spider-Man Vol 1 #5

enter image description here

Amazing Spider-Man Vol 1 #283

enter image description here

In the second Superman/Spider-Man crossover, Perry White gave a similar appraisal of Peter's work, when Peter sold some shots of the Hulk's rampage in Metropolis to the Daily Planet, after having left his camera webbed to a wall as usual. (Again, not strictly canon, but still interesting as a What If...? scenario, if nothing else.)

Marvel Treasury Edition #28

enter image description here

enter image description here

Improve this answer
6
  • 4
    That about answers it. Thank you. Surprising then, that . as a photographer, Peter is still portrayed living so "paycheck to paycheck" when he has a professional career with such notable achievements.
    – Russhiro
    Sep 28, 2020 at 22:21
  • 9
    @Russhiro - Well, Peter's Pulitzer Prize was forgotten about for years, as a result of Sentry's activities as a superhero being wiped from everyone's memory. Those memories resurfaced when Sentry 'reappeared' in the year 2000, by which time Peter was no longer a photographer. (In reality, Sentry debuted in the year 2000, but Marvel wanted to create a lengthy, retroactive history for him.)
    – LogicDictates
    Sep 28, 2020 at 23:28
  • 4
    Also, Peter was never a staff photographer for the Bugle, only a freelancer, so he didn't have a fixed salary to rely on, and Jonah tended to lowball him in terms of what he paid for his photos. Then there's the fact that the ingredients required to make web-fluid are apparently quite expensive, and Peter had to make alot of that stuff, not to mention spider-tracers and Aunt May's hospital bills.
    – LogicDictates
    Sep 28, 2020 at 23:56
  • Wait, JJJ actually hugged Peter? What alternate universe was That in. ;-) I read the panels that explain it, but it's still just so out of character that I still don't believe it. lol
    – computercarguy
    Sep 29, 2020 at 17:52
  • @Russhiro just because someone has a large amount of income doesn't mean he doesn't spend it all as quickly as it comes in. Many appear wealthy because they live in big houses, drive fancy cars, and wear fine clothes, but are, in fact, less than 90 days from losing it all because they are stretched so thin on all the payments. Don't be fooled by appearances.
    – FreeMan
    Sep 30, 2020 at 15:25
13

At least two times

In The Amazing Spider-Man #246 (1983), a photo of J. Jonah Jameson kissing Spider-Man's feet gets him the Pulitzer for photojournalism.

Peter Parker saves JJJ from supervillains

In Sentry/Spider-Man (2001), Peter's photo of Sentry is said to be "the most influential image of the decade", and gets him a Pulitzer (or at least, he attended the Pulitzers, and given the drawing and general tone, I'd think he won one).

Parker in a suit, at the Pulitzers

Improve this answer
6
  • 1
    He was nominated for "Photographer of the Year" a couple of times; Marvels: Eye of the Camera and Giant-Sized Super Heroes #1. He didn't win either time, if memory serves
    – Valorum
    Sep 28, 2020 at 17:55
  • 6
    The example from Amazing Spider-Man #246 was actually a daydream on Peter's part, hence all the wacky imagery.
    – LogicDictates
    Sep 28, 2020 at 20:08
  • @LogicDictates uh, my bad. I'll edit that in later when I have more time :)
    – Jenayah
    Sep 28, 2020 at 20:33
  • 2
    @Valorum - I think the nominations mentioned in Giant-Size Super-Heroes #1 and Marvels: Eye of the Camera #2 were likely one and the same, given that the latter story was set during the same time period within the Marvel Universe.
    – LogicDictates
    Sep 28, 2020 at 21:49
  • @LogicDictates - But was I right that he didn't win?
    – Valorum
    Sep 28, 2020 at 21:52

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge that you have read and understand our privacy policy and code of conduct.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.