Andre Schneider

THE INTERVIEW

Which place do you call home?

New York City

How did you get into photography?

I’ve always loved photography since I was a child,
so it was a very easy decision (although with
some detours along the way) going into photography.

How would you describe your style?

Probably something like clean romantic
or something like that…

Are you self taught or schooled?

I take some workshops here and there
when the subject is interesting
but mainly self taught.

As you look through the viewfinder,
what is the most critical moment
in capturing your image?

I think it’s a sum of everything from the time
you decide on a concept, going on how you develop
that idea, the whole team that does the shoot,
model, makeup and hair, stylist, location,
light, etc. Everything culminates into the
moment when you push the button.
If everything is great, then pushing
the button is just a consequence.

How do you define beauty?

Women

What does fashion mean to you?

Almost as much as photography.

Was there a breakthrough moment in your career?

Not really, I think that for most people
any artist career is a lot of an uphill battle
with very slow evolution.
If you’re lucky enough to have some big magazine
or big client love your work and all of a sudden
you’re shooting for everyone and their mother
that’s great, but from my experience
that’s not the norm…

How do you select the models you collaborate with?

It depends on the concept of the photo I’m gonna
be doing. The model has to (obviously be great and)
fit the concept, and her skills also fit the concept.

What do you think makes a truly memorable photo?

If it’s able to move the viewer.
If it makes you stop dead on your tracks
and leave you breathless,
then it’s a great photo!

We know each of us has someone or something
that inspires our life and work.
Can you tell us the true basis of your inspiration?

Life, everything.
It could be someone or something I see
on the street, a song I hear, a smell,
a movie, anything and everything.

What’s the craziest/funniest thing
that ever happened in one of your shoots?

Once I was shooting with a model that was the whole
time badmouthing the whole team to her model agent
via text message while the hair stylist was doing
her hair right behind her over her shoulder.
Did she really think that it was wise to trash
the person that was literally over your shoulder
with access to see everything you were texting?
LOL The agent called me right after the shoot
complaining about the looks (he said she sent him
snapshots) and how we wasted her time, blah blah,
blah. After the photos were done, he sent me an email
praising oh so much about how absolutely stunning
the photos had come out, and how nobody
had ever shot her like that and everything…

What photographers from the past or present
have influenced you the most?

Ah, so many… Peter Lindbergh, Irving Penn,
Herb Ritts, Richard Avedon, Guy Bourdin,
Helmut Newton, Albert Watson, Platon,
the list can go on for days… LOL

What has been your favorite photo location or session?

A shoot I did with Marcella Sbraletta
a couple of years ago.
Still my favorite!

What type of cameras do you shoot with?

Contax 645 is my main camera, then anything
from Nikon, Canon, Leica, Fuji, Pentax,
digital and film.
Whatever gets the job done.

If you had to choose one lens
which one would it be and why?

80mm on the Contax. (50mm on a 35mm camera).
That’s all I need.
Probably 99% of my photos are shot
with that lens.

Analogue or digital?

Anything that gets the job done.
But of course these days probably 95% digital

Do you prefer flash or daylight?

If it’s beautiful light, I don’t care
if it comes from the window
or from the power outlet.

What is your favorite photography accessory,
other than your camera?

The stereo system

How important is Photoshop in your final images?

As important as the darkroom and film was
in the film days. I feel like there is a lot
of discussion about Photoshop these days,
and there are a lot of so called photographers
(mainly in social media) that boast about
“my photos are straight out of the camera”.
But on the film days would you just buy any film
and then just take it to the grocery store
to be developed in an “1 hour photo booth”?
Of course not, because you wanted to choose
the right film for what you were shooting,
use filters when shooting, you wanted it
to be developed the right way to get the
right contrast and detail, you wanted to
choose the paper and do dodging and burning,
you would resource to all sorts of techniques
to get the final image just the way you
wanted it to be. With digital, this is all
done in Photoshop. Of course there is a lot
more that can be done in Photoshop
(like transforming the models, making insanely
surreal composites that look just like
they are real, etc), and I think that
these things need to be done very carefully,
but to “outlaw” Photoshop is, in my view,
just as bad as (in the film days) people
wanting to outlaw photographers that had
darkroom at home to enter photo contests.

What are your thoughts on instagram and facebook
and how important is a website and social media
for your business?

It’s a necessary evil. Instagram is great
for finding new photographers you don’t know,
to see new ideas and expand your visual horizons,
but the fact that you have to keep posting
all the time to have some sort of presence
on these social medias is a lot of times
a burden.

Do you listen to music while doing your shooting?
If so, what are you playing right now?

I almost always have the music on while shooting,
what is playing depends on the shoot,
it could be pop, blues, rock or Brazilian music.
It all depends on the mood of the shoot.

What advice do you have for somebody
who wants to pursue photography?

Either go full on or don’t go at all.
If you’re thinking “I’m gonna try and see
what happens and if it doesn’t work
I’ll do something else” don’t even waste
your time. Like most artists, unless you
know that that’s what you absolutely love
and you can’t see yourself doing anything
else, it most likely not gonna work great.

What lies ahead for you?

Everything!

Thank you, Andre Schneider.