The First Snowfall

Call it good timing.

I spent a few more days shooting some work in the Sierra's recently and happened to be there when the first storm of the season came through. A snow storm in late October is not quite the same as a snow storm in December. Unless you live among the aspen, it's not very often that one gets to see snow falling when the leaves are still crimson and gold.

And when those flakes do hit the ground... the leaves are sure to follow in a blink of an eye. A day or three is all the time you'll get to give autumn colors their final embrace.

www.ericschmidtphotography.com

An Ancient Forest

There is a forest in the White Mountains that is home to some of the oldest living things on earth. I am referring to a tree called the Bristlecone Pine and they say the oldest one is close to 4800 years - barely a seedling during the construction of the pyramids. It's hard to imagine a shelf life of a tree being so close to 5000 years.

This particular grove, which they call the Patriarch, is at an elevation of around 11,200 ft. I spent the night up there and filmed a timelapse sequence during the course of several hours... capturing some of the trees and their shadows beneath a blanket of stars. If you believe in ghosts, then it's probably not the best place to be at one in the morning. I'm sure you've heard the saying "the silence was deafening" - so true.

The area is extremely barren and even the sound of little critters scampering about was nonexistent. At around midnight, the wind vanished and it seemed as though the usual littering of commercial flights had been diverted from the sky.

With the exception of my shutter clicking every 22 seconds... there was nothing.

www.ericschmidtphotography.com

An Ancient Lake

I drove by Mono Lake the other day. It's about a five hour drive from my home and is located where the Eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains collide with the Great Basin Desert. There was a spectacular storm brewing on the northern shore and I couldn't resist pulling over.

I don't mean to sound crazy, but it really is a spiritual place.

They say it's one of the oldest lakes in the country - somewhere between one and three million years. There is an interesting story behind it,

so check it out.

www.monolake.org

www.ericschmidtphotography.com

Along The Umpqua River

I headed back up to Oregon recently with my wife and children (packed the dog and hamster too).

It was another summer vacation packed full of good times - with tons of memories.

Came home inspired and ready to create.

www.ericschmidtphotography.com

God's Country

Just got back into town from Whistler, British Columbia - worked on a wonderful project for a pharmaceutical client with an agency out of New York. Was stoked when I heard that one of my favorite art buyers would be joining us on the shoot. Good times guaranteed!

It was one of those jobs where everything went just right. I felt extremely fortunate to be a part of such a cool assignment... especially this year, with the workflow slowing down for everyone in the biz. The shot turned out beautiful and the client loved it. Always a good combo.

It's scheduled to be a part of a major media buy and I'm looking forward to seeing it sometime before the end of the year.

A big thank you to Rich Cardinali and Dolores Marcoux for having me be a part of their work at JWT/NY. Also a big thanks to Adam Silver, Pat Blewett and Jesse Loutit for making sure things went smooth as usual. It was one to remember...

www.ericschmidtphotography.com

Even The Wheat Fields Are Big In Texas

Just wrapping up the post production end of a project that planted me in a Texas wheat field for several days. About an hour or so from DFW.

I was asked to photograph various moments using talent in a surreal location to compliment the tagline "Nowhere Near Ordinary."

So why wheat fields?

Well, the client is based in Calgary - which is big wheat country.

They needed some sort of local connection with their clients - which brought me to Itasca.

I was surrounded by some nice people throughout the shoot, which is always a bonus. Be sure to check out the stellar work that Panzano & Partners has been cranking out.

Here are a few of my favorites from the shoot...

www.ericschmidtphotography.com

I Know Jack

I've always been a fan of the Jack-In-The Box ads, so needless to say it was a big thrill to work on the Mini Sirloin Burger campaign with their lead agency, Secret Weapon.

Found out some of the skinny on Jack too... for instance, did you know that he has a camera built into the tip of his nose?

Neither did I.

That's how he manages to walk around a set without crashing into cameras & stepping on cattle. There is a small video monitor inside of the head which acts as a set of eyes for the guy lucky enough to have the head strapped onto his. And I mean completely strapped on - so the person's head & "Jack's" head move in total synch. Aside from using a sledge, there is no way the person acting as Jack could get that thing off without the help of the prop handlers. When we wrapped the shoot & the head was removed, the poor guy inside was completely drenched with sweat. Can you say claustrophobic?

I wouldn't want that job... thanks anyhow.

www.ericschmidtphotography.com

To Capture A Moment...

... and this guy made it oh so easy.

Thanks Rob (and Christina too).

www.ericschmidtphotography.com

Beauty Among The Alders

A couple of my favorites from a recent shoot I completed a few days ago in a canyon near my home.

Images of a woman in dappled light under a canopy of alder trees.

She showed up to the shoot with a pit bull approaching the size of a hyena... go figure.

www.ericschmidtphotography.com