Stowe, Vermont

They say that talent is everything. Well, I'm here to tell you that these two twentysomethings were real pros... enabling me to capture "real" moments between two complete strangers.

So thanks to the individuals involved - for making the shoot easy & a helluva lot of fun!

www.ericschmidtphotography.com

Memorial Day

"Death leaves a heartache no one can heal, love leaves a memory no one can steal."

Tell children about the true meaning of Memorial Day.

www.ericschmidtphotography.com

Going Coastal

There is something to be said about living near the coast...

A few images here - from a project where an ad agency was wanting me to shoot imagery (sans people) for a client who is located on pristine acreage along the California Coast. They sent me out with an art director/graphic designer who was an absolute joy to work with - always a treat. If you are looking to build your home here, you'll need pockets extending far past your ankles.

A few of my favorites that I'd like to share...

www.ericschmidtphotography.com

Wild Thing

We are in the thick of it here.

Those of you with kids know what I'm talking about when I mention the words little league. My wife and I are no different in that both of our boys have managed to fill-in the blanks of our calendar with baseball.

Anyhow, I definitely wanted to share a moment that happened the other day when I was watching my boy Sam through the lens.

His team was getting clobbered by the best team in the league when he was called onto the mound.

Here is how it all played out...

As usual, he was throwing the heat & had a couple of strikeouts.

But after walking two in a row, things went south as he hit the next three batters - all nice shots to the ribs too. My dad eloquently stated from the bleachers, "Well... that's one way to beat this team, we'll just kill them off one by one."  Nice.

The kid on deck looked like he was about to walk thru the gates of hell - but was spared the trip when they yanked Sam back into the dugout. They put a fork in him.

Obviously, Sam was pretty rattled by the whole ordeal and it didn't help the situation in having an umpire that was cross-eyed & blind.

I told him that it was alright if you hit a batter - but don't ever do it on purpose. He said "I didn't dad."  Of course, we all knew he didn't and I told him so.

I also told him that all of his pitches were spectacular... all but three.

www.ericschmidtphotography.com

Ben's First Fish

"In our family, there was no clear line between religion and fly fishing. We lived at the junction of great trout rivers in western Montana, and our father was a Presbyterian minister and a fly fisherman who tied his own flies and taught others. He told us about Christ's disciples being fishermen, and we were left to assume, as my brother and I did, that all first-class fishermen

on the Sea of Galilee were fly fishermen and that John,

the favorite, was a dry-fly fisherman."

- Norman Maclean

"A River Runs Through It"

Hey... you've got to start somewhere.

Nice job kiddo.
I love you more than you will ever know.

www.ericschmidtphotography.com

It's Going To Cost How Much ? ?

So I was hired by an ad agency in New York recently... to create a couple of images for an upcoming print campaign. A great way to start the year!

One of the images they needed was of a roller coaster (it was one of those "as per layout" assignments). We contacted Six Flags in California and found out that it would cost two arms + a leg to make the photograph... non-negotiable (I thought Six Flags was going broke - what's the deal). Well, there wasn't much to do other than break the news to the agency. Didn't seem to bother them too much so we pressed on. We rounded up a slew of extras to fill up the roller coaster (i.e. brother, nieces & their starving college buddies), loaded them up with ginger ale & Dramamine prior to boarding...

& then let 'er rip!

After capturing the image with two different cameras/angles during differing moments of early morning light, we called it a wrap.

I was hoping to capture some of the passengers with their arms raised, but the contraption that held them in their seat prevented that from happening.

Turned out nice & I'm looking forward to seeing the campaign in print (a huge media buy).

It was a real pleasure to finally meet the art buyer from the agency - had a couple of nice dinners together & I'm looking forward to crossing paths again. Thanks for the call Rich!

www.ericschmidtphotography.com

Heading Off To Jury Duty

I received a letter last summer - it was a summons for jury duty at the Los Angeles County Superior Court House.

I think it would be fair to say that it wasn't exactly something that I was looking forward to. When I asked them if I could reschedule the date because of a conflicting project, they obliged. And since January 4th seemed like it would work for me, we inked it.

The holidays came and went... and before you know it, my date for jury duty arrived.

So what exactly does this have to do with Frank Gehry's Disney Concert Hall?

Well, that's where you park if you are a juror. It's a wonderful addition to downtown Los Angeles...

and it's probably the most photogenic building on the west coast.

www.ericschmidtphotography.com

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

Merry Christmas

The Holiday Season is upon us - ready or not, it has arrived.

I hope you all have a peaceful Holiday & are able to share it among the loved ones in your life.

I am hoping for another wonderful New Year & the continuation of good health - Cheers!

www.ericschmidtphotography.com

Lost in Vermont

I recently spent a couple of extra days in Vermont after shooting a project in Stowe. On the first day I headed into Burlington to meet with a group of creatives at a slick agency & to share some of my work with them (had a great breakfast @ Penny Cluse Cafe). Anyhow, super nice people at the agency & fingers are crossed that I am able to collaborate with them down the road.

Later that afternoon I headed out of town - with no itinerary. Basically, I was just looking to get lost in Vermont.

So that's what I did.

For several years now I have been keeping my eyes open for a quaint baseball diamond... as I've had a particular image in my mind. Low and behold, I found it tucked away.

It's hard to explain the feeling I get after I photograph an image that has been pre-visualized for so long & it's an incredibly fulfilling feeling once it has been realized. Looking back, I wish like hell that I had a Canon 5D Mark II along for the ride as I would have loved to capture both the still image & the actual footage in HD. I have vivid memories of the surrounding sounds. I remember hearing the flow of a river on the other side of the trees - which was accompanied by the voices of two boys, a dog & the sound of the wind blowing thru the surrounding maples... all in perfect harmony.

There is so much about this picture that I like.

www.ericschmidtphotography.com

Bonjour parlez-vous anglais?

Just finishing up a project that I shot in Paris.

I was hired by GSW-Worldwide to create the photographs in a European campaign for the pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly. The product is called Humalog and it's something that many diabetics use everyday.

Anyhow, they needed pictures of "real looking" European patients holding cameras, maps, sitting at cafés... that sort of thing. They were looking for pretty straight forward imagery in a variety of settings that could double for various European regions (you won't find any shots of the Eiffel Tower as they wanted me to steer clear of anything identifiable).

I had the pleasure of working with Nico & Jérémie at Toolbox Productions - an awesome pair of attitudes & I will definitely call on them again when a project takes me overseas.

It was one of those jobs where you come home with a ton of great memories & some new friends too. That tends to happen in a location like this, especially when you are working with a terrific agency, client & crew (see below). A giant thank you is extended to Janet Oberg, Rod Smith, Michelle Snook, Marc Short & Catherine Johnson. I appreciate you having me be a part of your work!

One thing I miss already is driving through the streets of Paris like Jason Bourne... while listening to the Westside Rhymeslingers rendition of Changes. Crazy.

www.ericschmidtphotography.com

Small Town Southern Man

I went to Delbert Hopper's funeral today.

He just grew old, tired & was ready.

They say he moved into the neighborhood shortly after WWII. He fought in the Battle of the Bulge (served under General Patton), had a few children, loved his wife and lived a pretty simple life. His generation is slowly slipping away and it's terribly sad. At the service there were pictures of him sitting on military tanks, holding fish with his wife, pulling his kids on water skis behind an old scrappy boat, bbqing...

There were probably a hundred old and faded color snapshots from his past. I'm sure you know what I'm talking about - classic images from the 50's, 60's and 70's.

During the eulogy a woman spoke about how much he enjoyed his friendship with our children - especially with Sam. Since his passing, Sam has been sleeping with a picture of Mr. Hopper from his WWII days. He told me last night that "he was a handsome soldier, dad."

I am becoming a big sap and I blame it on country music. Speaking of... Mr. Hopper loved his country music - and as though the request line was open, they played Willie Nelson's version of Amazing Grace and then wrapped it all up with Alan Jackson's "Small Town Southern Man."

It was quite an afternoon...

www.ericschmidtphotography.com

Merry Christmas

It's the perfect time of year to reflect on what is important in all of our lives. I hope the Holiday Season treats you well & that the upcoming New Year exceeds all of your expectations!

www.ericschmidtphotography.com