Today we’d like to introduce you to Ray Schneider.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
My Story
Q: What’s the difference between a pepperoni pizza and a photographer?
A: A pepperoni pizza can feed a family of four.
That’s the way I introduced one of my photography exhibits. Sure, I did it to loosen up the crowd, but also to explain that I spent 30 years first as a chemical engineer, and then as a management consultant, which has allowed me today to pursue my passion for the art of photography.
During my consulting days my clients ranged from Amazon.com to Pfizer. I solved complicated operational and manufacturing problems, facilitated teams, and taught problem-solving skills. Those days are behind me now.
I took down my consulting shingle some years back and put up my photography shingle. Since then, I’ve had solo exhibits, joined group ones, shot a variety of events, won a portfolio award from Black and White Magazine, and received awards in area photography contests. I also published a well-reviewed book called “What the Photographer Sees”.
Yes, it’s all way different than scientific research or consulting, but those long-earned skills have come in quite handy.
My Work
My pictures span a range of genres including portrait, landscape, street, garden, and animals. But my favorite pictures are those with people in them because they connect so strongly with viewers. They connect at a heart level and so remain more memorable.
When I was a consultant, I spent many years teaching, so when the new photography shingle was hung, I realized I not only loved creating strong images, but also enjoyed teaching others to create their own. That’s led me to become a speaker at many camera clubs across the country, and to teach at community art centers and adult education schools. It’s a great new use of my old consulting skills.
For example, a student wrote this after I gave a workshop:
“Why are we taking the darn picture? You motivated us to THINK! By breaking down your own work, you clearly illustrated how we can improve our photographic skills – and thus, our results. We need to alter our thinking and approach each shoot with INTENTION before we click the shutter.”
For many years, I was also the Board President of a nonprofit organization that works with underserved youth and sustainability. And after my board term was up, I volunteered to be their photographer. So, I just enjoy sharing whatever I can. And I’ve recently joined the board of Pennsylvania’s Jenkins Arboretum, where in addition to helping with strategic planning, I’ve learned every flower has its own individual personality, just like people. Great picture material!
My Inspiration
Traveling is a big part of my life. I’ve visited over 40 countries and images from these places are the subject of many of my pictures. Some of my favorite compositions, however, were taken right here in this country. In fact, I’m working on another book based on my impressions of Downeast Maine where I’ve spent a lot of time over the last 15 years.
But great images are everywhere, far away or in my own backyard. It’s all about “seeing.”
And so you don’t think I spend all my days wandering around in search of another great image, I’m also a swimmer and cyclist, a one-time Ironman distance triathlete, and I particularly loved riding my bicycle across the country. Inspiration comes in all kinds of forms!
My Learning Process
I love reverse engineering the question, “What is it in our DNA and eye-brain perceptual mechanisms that make certain images more memorable than others?” The ideas I share with my students come from the worlds of art and composition, and evolutionary, Gestalt and photographic psychology.
My bookshelf is filled with how-to photography books, but many of them left me wanting more. Lots of rules, dos and don’ts, and not enough emphasis into how we perceive, and why we are attracted to certain types of compositions. I think this is critical if a photographer wants to capture more attention and inspire more imagination. To close the gap, I read beyond the photography genre. My library includes books on art, visual literacy and perception, the physics of light, and even the physiology of the eye!
My learning process has also benefited from having accomplished photographers encourage me along the way. Sometimes they were people I met briefly at various settings like a camera club meeting, sometimes they were teachers who became close friends, and sometimes they were students who happened to also be great photographers.
I was the programming director for my own camera club for four years, a position that enabled me to chat with and meet, on Zoom, a host of inspiring photographers from around the country.
My Challenges
My biggest challenge, and I believe this is so for any creative act, is to find my own distinct voice, especially with pressure to conform to what others like. Photography, for me, is about creating images that are more than pretty pictures, and that trigger the viewer’s inner-voice—suggesting a narrative, inviting a sense of curiosity, and causing one to pause, take a closer look, ponder, and be touched.
I can honestly say that being a photographer all these years has changed how I go about my day. It’s not that I’m obsessively looking for my next great picture. It’s more that the partnership between my eyes and my brain has become sensitized to seeing more consciously what’s in front of me. So, I remain more in the present moment. Not a bad thing on so many levels!
Thanks so much for this opportunity to share my thoughts and chat about my process. My work can be viewed at www.rayschneiderphotography.com.
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