Blaming it on Genetics

"The acorn is endowed with the spirit of the oak."

- Benjamin F. Schmidt

My father had a thing for trees, primarily old ones.

The more riddled they were with gnarled branches twisting and turning, the more likely the attraction.

And whenever he passed one with his Pentax Spotmatic in hand, I can call to mind as if watching it unfold before me this minute... with him hunkering into an uncomfortable position, holding the camera vertically with the ever familiar arching of his right hand while his index finger hovered a breath away from the shutter release. Always vertical, and with his camera pointed at the heavens too. And when his familiar subject took root in the bottom right corner of the frame, as it always did, he would press the shutter release button which I always felt was closer to a trigger being pulled than not.

He had taken the same picture time and time again. Of course there were different locations along the way and he was open to the variety of specimens that dotted the California landscape. I seem to recall Jeffrey Pines being a favorite. A few years ago I took him to see an ancient grove of Bristlecone Pines located high in the White Mountains. A spiritual place for sure and I remember him being moved to tears as we walked among them.

So when I recently found myself in a similar rant on Mesa Verde... I could only shake my head at the familiarity of it all. This time around, the subject matter was beetle ravaged trees against a mid-afternoon sky.

And if it all seems redundant... I’d ask you to cut this guy some slack, as I blame it on genetics.

www.ericschmidtphotography.com

A Connection

Here are a few selects from a recent health care related shoot in which I needed to capture unrehearsed moments between an elderly woman and a caretaker (in this case, her granddaughter).

There definitely needed to be an honest, emotional connection within the imagery - which there was. I just let it all unfold... one frame at a time.

www.ericschmidtphotography.com

A Conversation

"If you associate enough with older people who enjoy their lives, who are not stored away in any golden ghettos, you will gain a sense of continuity and the possibility for a full life." - Margaret Mead

Our grandparent's generation is slowly fading away.

They are an aspect of our lives that is usually taken for granted and that's a shame because most people never really appreciate something until it's gone.

If you happen to have a family member who is a part of what Brokaw named our "greatest generation," consider yourself lucky.

In my family, there is only one.

I've always found it easy to connect with this generation. Their lives are full of experiences that most of us will never encounter. And I suspect a sizable number of us would not have been able to overcome the same adversities.

I've also found that if you just sit tight, show a genuine interest in their story and listen... more times than not a contagious dose of old school sensibility will be yours for the taking.

When I was considering subject matter in which to focus my latest short video on, I thought of a woman who happened to be turning 90 and how I'd like to recollect a few moments from her life.

Roll it...

So go ahead and have a lengthy conversation with someone that fits the bill. I'd stay clear of topics such as the weather and aches and pains as they are ever changing - but that's just me.

Ask them about various aspects of their life... their trials and tribulations, the good times and the not so. You'll get more out of this conversation than you realize.

And one day, you'll cherish the memory.

www.ericschmidtphotography.com

I Shoot Dogs Too

Here are a couple of my favorites from a campaign that I shot for a national brand of dog food.

Had a great time planning out how the elements would be captured & was able to watch it piece together oh, so smooth. I'm generally not hired to create images in this manner - which is unfortunate, because it's a process that I am totally comfortable with.

In truth, I find it extremely satisfying - love the "smoke & mirrors" aspect that is applied to imagery as such.

It's the third time that I've worked with this agency & fingers crossed that we're able to do more cool work down the road.

A huge thank you to Carter Weitz & Ron Sack for throwing me the bone on this campaign (sorry for that one).

Check 'em out - a stellar group to work with...

www.baileylauerman.com

www.ericschmidtphotography.com

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