Montana Art & Photography

When All Factors Coalesce: Capturing the Authentic with Eric Schmidt

With an established reputation and an impressive portfolio spanning over 20 years, Eric Schmidt takes the accolades and awards sprinkled throughout his career in casual stride.

Initially inspired by a collection of Ansel Adams' imagery, Schmidt was gifted his first camera upon graduation from high school. He reveled in the ease and power of shooting, capturing the majestic wilderness of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, tracing the steps of his first inspiration with a Pentax K1000 in his hands. Schmidt vividly remembers the film he shot and processed that first summer while working in Yosemite: he found himself speechless upon discovering a collection of decidedly "awful" pictures. "It was a wake-up call and my first real lesson," remarks Schmidt with a knowing smile. "It takes a lot more than a pretty scene to create a beautiful photograph." So, Schmidt put in the work. He honed his skills, obtained a BFA from the Art Center College of Design and worked as a camera assistant for several well-known commercial photographers. "These guys were busy shooting the kinds of campaigns that I wanted to shoot, so you can imagine how formative these years were for me professionally." It was during this time that Schmidt was able to develop his first body of work, while simultaneously acquiring the skills and knowledge necessary to start working with agencies nationwide. …