SHOT AT THE SPEED OF SOUND Book to Celebrate Photographer Naomi Petersen
Brother Christopher Petersen created the 152-page hardcover documenting her 12-year punk and metal photography career.
Shot at the Speed of Sound is a high-quality 12' x 12' hardcover with a dust jacket that will mark the first solo collection of Naomi Petersen's photography ever released. The 152-page book will bring together images from her 12-year career documenting the formative years of American punk, hardcore, alternative rock and heavy metal music.
Born in Japan and raised in Los Angeles, Naomi discovered punk rock as a teenager and attended a life-changing performance by The Clash with her brother Christopher. With a Nikon camera in hand, she soon transformed her passion for music and photography into a storied career.
At only 18 years old, Naomi became the house photographer for legendary independent label SST Records, capturing promotional images and candid moments with Black Flag, Descendents, Minutemen, Hüsker Dü, Meat Puppets and Sonic Youth, among many others. From 1982 through 1994, her lens also documented an extraordinary range of artists, including Minor Threat, Bad Brains, Misfits, Circle Jerks, Fear, NOFX, Screaming Trees, Dinosaur Jr., Corrosion of Conformity, D.R.I., D.O.A., Pantera, Fugazi, Scream, GWAR, and early Guns N' Roses, Flea, Dave Grohl and Nirvana.
Her photographs appeared on hundreds of album covers and inserts, promotional sheets, concert flyers, magazines, newspapers and fanzines around the world. Working in a music scene largely dominated by men, Naomi established herself as a gifted and deeply respected photographer whose images helped define how an essential era in underground music would be remembered.
In 1989, Naomi relocated from Los Angeles to Washington, D.C., where she continued photographing artists associated with Dischord Records and worked at the iconic 9:30 Club. The position gave her access to nightly performances and allowed her to document another pivotal chapter in independent music, including Fugazi, Faith No More and early Nirvana in 1990.
After more than a decade behind the camera, Naomi stepped away from photography in 1994. She would take her last known photographs two years later. Naomi died from liver failure on June 13, 2003, at only 38 years old.
Her brother, Christopher Petersen, has since dedicated himself to preserving, restoring and sharing Naomi's work and legacy. Her photographs have reached new audiences through exhibitions including Rebel With a Lens in New York City, From Her to Eternity in Chicago and Norway, and The Punk Rock Museum in Las Vegas. Her personal journals have also revealed previously untold stories about her career, creative ambitions and the mental health struggles she faced throughout her life.
A journal entry written at age 19 as her career was beginning captures Naomi's independence, determination and belief in the future:
'I have got to be an independent woman—this is the last of being a teenager for me, I better get busy & serious! Career-wise this has been a fantastic year. I hope next year is even better. Music is where my thing is at—I've just got to really work at it. C'mon now mon, use yer brains! This is going to be my year!' — Naomi Petersen, December 31, 1983
More than four decades after Naomi began documenting the musicians and communities surrounding her, Shot at the Speed of Sound will offer the first book-length celebration devoted entirely to her photographs, with writing contributions by Henry Rollins, Deborah Rutherford (Debbie Patino) and Thurston Moore, in addition to Christopher Petersen.
The collection preserves the perspective of a young artist who did more than witness punk history—she helped shape its visual identity. Through Naomi's photographs and the stories behind them, Shot at the Speed of Sound will give longtime fans and a new generation the opportunity to see punk and underground music history through her eyes.
Shot at the Speed of Sound, The Photography of Naomi Petersen will be released October 31, 2026, through Sumerian Publishing/Punk Life Naomi.
Pre-order information and additional details can be found at https://punklifenaomi.com and on Instagram at @PunkLifeNaomi.
