Meet Steve Schwartz | Photographer – Vistas of Nature

We had the good fortune of connecting with Steve Schwartz and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Steve, what do you attribute your success to?
A significant number of the people who view my photos tell me that my photos make them feel like they are there with me when I take the photo. This seems to make them feel a part of the process of creating the photo.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.

I was exposed (pardon the pun) to photography at an early age. My Grandfather started Mile High Photo, one of the first commercial photo studios in Denver in 1905, and my father continued the family tradition. I remember being hooked on photography when my dad showed me how to develop and print B&W film before I reached my 10th birthday.

After graduating from college, I started doing commercial photography. In the late 70’s my focus shifted from commercial photography to multi-image slide shows. I was hired by the Denver Museum of Natural History, now the called the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, to create a 24 projector slide show to be included as part of their IMAX Theater experience. When the ‘Oil Bust’ hit the Denver area in the early 80’s the demand for Multi-image slide shows went away almost overnight.

Fortunately I had developed an interest in personal computers from my working with the computers used for the multi-image slide shows, and I was able to start a computer consulting business. During this period I continued to enjoy photography as a hobby.

As digital photography began to mature, I was able to combine my love of photography with my knowledge of computers and I had access to the best of both worlds. My early introduction to film photography schooled me in the basics including composition, lighting and color correction. The maturing of programs like Photoshop allowed me to have full control over the print making process.

Currently, I have become fascinated with creating photographic panoramas as a means of capturing the wide open vistas of nature which cannot readily be captured in a single photo.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
First of all, I’m not a city person, so I would take them to the West Slope, find a place to stay somewhere in the area between Ouray and Ridgeway. We would spend the week traveling the back roads and taking in the splendor of some of the best mountain scenery the United States. We would spend some of the evenings in some of the many restaurants in Ouray and we would spend the other evenings around the campfire enjoying the splendor of the great outdoors.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Ron Phillips, one of the best landscape photographers I have ever met. Ron is virtually unknown outside of the small group of people who have been fortunate enough to experience his landscapes. In the early sixties Ron would get up at ‘O Dark 30’ lug 50-60 pounds of 4×5 equipment, hike 5 miles, so he could get to the perfect viewpoint, setup his equipment and wait for the perfect picture. Like all great photographers his work must be seen to be appreciated, unfortunately Ron was an amazing photographer and a lousy salesman.

Website: VistasOfNature.com