Today we’d like to introduce you to Eric Schaeffer
Hi Eric, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Since my older brother was born, my mom created photo albums with prints from disposable cameras, one for each of her children. Through photo collages and written descriptions in them she documented her marriage, our family, friends, events, different chapters of our lives, and different places we lived. I don’t think she would have called herself a photographer – she just considered herself a mother capturing our life and the people she loved – but the way she documented everything has had a huge influence on my perspective as a photographer.
In high school, I began filming my friends and I skateboarding. After a few years I had dozens of Hi-8 tapes that I started to edit on our household computer adding music, title screens, and graphics. I ended up with a 40-minute skateboard film that I sold in the local skateshop and gave to friends.
I joined the photo class in my high school, and went on to study video and cinema in college. I found I could apply a lot of the storytelling skills I learned in my video production classes to my own photography as well, and as I began to shoot and develop my own film photos, all of these components together had a huge impact on me as an artist.
By the time I finished school I had shot two low-budget feature films and worked on dozens of sets in Philadelphia. I worked for a few production studios, wedding companies, and as a subcontractor on film sets, until I started my own company 7 years ago. Since then I’ve been solo working with music artists, comedians, weddings, local businesses in Philadelphia, and larger-scale clients such as LiveNation and Food Network. As the owner of my own business, I enjoy being able to work for all different types of clients and challenging myself to create all different types of work.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Maintaining a healthy balance between work and my personal life has been a consistent struggle since I’ve started. Since photography is both my passion and my job, it’s sometimes difficult to stop myself from “working” when I’m supposed to be off the clock.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
My own life and experiences are always a part of my work, and in offering others the same dedication to authenticity, I have been able to capture and uplift people, lives, and experiences. I have worked with visual artists, musicians, filmmakers, chefs, small-business owners, and families, all of whom have these things in common – passion, art, and love.
A few years ago I added a photography blog to my website and noticed some differences between my portfolio and personal photography. This made me realize that I could improve my “work” photography by giving it the same treatment and authenticity that I give my personal projects. I started using film more often for clients rather than just myself, offering more stylistic and creative approaches in my commissioned work. I work with a wide range of digital cameras, film cameras, camcorders, point and shoot cameras, video synthesizers and in-camera effects to reflect my own as well as my clients’ experiences.
Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
Back to my mom’s photo albums, they have had a huge influence on my desire and ability to capture true candid moments in my professional and personal work. They are the reason I began shooting film and continue to be my greatest influence as a photographer.
Philadelphia has so many pockets of art scenes, a big DIY music scene, and so much culture. It’s changed so much throughout my career and I feel like my art has been growing alongside it. Being around so many talented people challenges me to adapt and grow with them. I love being Philadelphia-based and working with my community of artists.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://eric-schaeffer.com
- Instagram: @eschaee
- Facebook: Eric Schaeffer
