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07.28.08

Nathan Schroder

Photographer

www.nathanschroder.com

Duration: I’ve been in the photo industry for over ten years, but it was not until 2007 that I found a voice I could call my own.

Staff: I work closely with my rep, Denise Stewart, and a group of incredibly talented freelance producers, stylists, retouchers and assistants.

Education: The BFA in Photography from the University of North Texas was a piece of paper I received while meeting some of my best friends, and creating some incredible memories. It wasn’t until I left the academic world that I received the education that infused my work: Time behind the camera shaped my technical lighting and direction skills. Time in front of a computer shaped my image creation skills. Time in front of the silver screen shaped my vision and style. Time with a few dear friends and fellow photographers shaped my understanding of this business.

Cultural Influences: These are derived from the photo books that are stacking up in my office and keep my wallet empty, the films that my wife April keeps flowing into our DVD player and the daily political and social blogs that fill my bookmarks folder.

Environment: I enjoy creating images  both in the studio and on location. I prefer to not always make the obvious choice when determining where to create my images. Drawing a great deal of influence from the space around me, my images sometimes unexpectedly grow out of a location that I see. I create my images as a way of telling stories and conveying ideas. If I’m working on a commissioned piece, the first step, even before drawing up a bid, is to contact the creative team to obtain their vision for the project. I then begin to build a story, which guides most decisions pertaining to the development of the project. I use this story to communicate to the client my understanding of the images we’re creating. I want my client to feel confident that their project is well understood and in capable hands.

Philosophy: Photography is 75 percent preproduction, 10 percent shooting (behind the camera) and 15 percent post-production. I’m an artist not a scientist. Sometimes it's best to jump in the shark-infested waters and get the shot that you didn’t see in all the hours of planning done prior to that moment. A friend of mine once told me, “Don’t save anything for the swim back.”