NAME :
Stefanie Schneider.
OCCUPATION :
Artist, farmer, chicken enthusiast.
WHERE WERE YOU BORN :
Cuxhaven, Germany.
WHERE DO YOU LIVE :
The high desert of California.
DESCRIBE YOURSELF IN 3 WORDS :
Never stand still.
WHAT IS YOUR EARLIEST MEMORY :
My earliest vivid memories are from the summer when I was four.
WHAT WERE YOU LIKE AS A KID :
Wild.
WHAT IS YOUR MOST TREASURED OBJECT :
My Polaroids.
WHO WOULD PLAY YOU IN A MOVIE :
Kristen Stewart, Michelle Williams, and Charlotte Gainsbourg—would play different stages of my life.
IF YOU COULD CHOOSE A SUPERPOWER, WHAT WOULD IT BE :
Time travel.
WHAT IS YOUR WORST TRAIT :
I’m deeply disillusioned with humanity. It’s a trait that sometimes leads to isolation, but also drives me to seek out authenticity and truth.
WHAT KEEPS YOU AWAKE AT NIGHT :
Microplastics.
WHAT IS YOUR GREATEST ACHIEVEMENT :
To create my life as a dream.
DO YOU LISTEN TO PODCASTS :
Harry Shearer ‘Le Show’, This American Life, Scheer Intelligence.
WHAT’S YOUR GUILTY PLEASURE :
I don’t have one.
YOU ARE HEADING TO THE ISS (INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION FOR A MONTH, WHO WOULD YOU TAKE :
I really don’t want to go. I love life on earth.
WHAT DOES YOUR PERFECT DAY LOOK LIKE :
Waking up to beautiful light streaming into the bedroom, coffee in hand. Joining Lance and Bella for a ride, then taking care of the cats and chickens, seeding, harvesting, and making a fresh salad. Reading in the sun, maybe dozing off for a bit. A hot or cold bath. Building something—maybe a new chicken coop. Curating a show on Artsy. A big sale. Then, going to bed early.
IF YOU COULD BE FRIENDS WITH ANY FICTIONAL CHARACTER, WHO WOULD YOU CHOOSE :
Maude from Harold and Maude.
IF YOU WERE NOT A PHOTOGRAPHER WHAT WOULD YOU BE DOING :
I define myself as an artist and I don’t think I could have ever been anything else. My farm life now is just as much art as the Polaroids I take. It’s just all different stages of life with different expressions.
WHAT IS YOUR DEFINITION OF BEAUTY :
Happiness.
IF YOU HAD TO CHOOSE ONE FORMAT WHAT WOULD IT BE :
I think I’m going for color super-8 films.
WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO BREAK INTO PHOTOGRAPHY :
It wasn’t a planned path. I was getting into film editing when I came across a stack of outdated Polaroid film. I tried it out, and immediately knew it was exactly what I had been searching for. A few weeks later, I met the German Consul, who introduced me to Susanne Vielmetter. She loved my Polaroids, became my first gallerist, and that’s how it all started. There was no major decision—just the decision to keep going.
WHAT’S THE BEST PART OF YOUR JOB :
I love the beginning, when the idea starts to take shape, and location scouting, when everything begins to come alive. It feels like it steps out of my head. Then there’s the energy of costumes and set building, leading up to the shoot, when everything clicks and the magic happens. After that, it’s the calmness of editing. Each part is so different, but they all feed into each other.
ARE THERE DAYS YOU DO NOT WANT TO GO TO WORK :
Right now, I’d love to spend a day in bed, reading with the cats around me. But every morning, the farm calls, and the art needs to be presented online across our platforms. So, taking a day off just isn’t possible at the moment.
CHOOSE YOUR TOP 5 MAGAZINES :
Unfortunately I’m completely out of the loop.
WHAT MOTIVATES YOU :
I constantly have new plans, new ideas. Too many for a lifetime. I can’t stop.
WHEN DID YOU DO YOUR FIRST PROPER SHOOT :
I was 16. I convinced a group of dancers to perform for a shoot in an abandoned factory.
IF YOU COULD SPEND THE DAY WITH ANY PHOTOGRAPHER ALIVE OR DEAD WHO WOULD IT BE :
I used to think it would be great to take photos of everybody who inspired me or keep inspiring me. Unfortunately I ran out of film.
ARE THERE DAYS YOU DO NOT WANT TO GO TO WORK :
Right now, I’d love to spend a day in bed, reading with the cats around me. But every morning, the farm calls, and the art needs to be presented online across our platforms. So, taking a day off just isn’t possible at the moment.
CHOOSE YOUR TOP 5 MAGAZINES :
Unfortunately I’m completely out of the loop. WHAT MOTIVATES YOU :
I constantly have new plans, new ideas. Too many for a lifetime. I can’t stop.
WHEN DID YOU DO YOUR FIRST PROPER SHOOT :
I was 16. I convinced a group of dancers to perform for a shoot in an abandoned factory.
IF YOU COULD SPEND THE DAY WITH ANY PHOTOGRAPHER ALIVE OR DEAD WHO WOULD IT BE :
I used to think it would be great to take photos of everybody who inspired me or keep inspiring me. Unfortunately I ran out of film.
WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE PHOTOGRAPHIC DESTINATION :
The California desert—its wide-open spaces, harsh light, and endless skies evoke so much emotion and possibility.
WHAT’S YOUR LEAST FAVOURITE PHOTOGRAPHIC DESTINATION :
Anywhere that feels overly commercialized. I prefer places that haven’t been sanitized or altered by the masses.
WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE PHOTO IN YOUR ARCHIVE :
It’s hard to choose, maybe ‘Radha Pink’ or ‘Daisy in front of Trailer’.
WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR MOST CHALLENGING PHOTOSHOOT :
The Cyndi Lauper record shoot. We had only a few minutes to shoot because Cyndi spent so much time on wardrobe. By the time she was ready, the light was gone.
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE SOME GETTING INTO THE INDUSTRY :
Stay true to your vision. It’s easy to get caught up in trends, but authenticity is what will set you apart in the long run.
WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE PHOTOGRAPHIC DESTINATION :
The California desert—its wide-open spaces, harsh light, and endless skies evoke so much emotion and possibility.
WHAT’S YOUR LEAST FAVOURITE PHOTOGRAPHIC DESTINATION :
Anywhere that feels overly commercialized. I prefer places that haven’t been sanitized or altered by the masses.
WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE PHOTO IN YOUR ARCHIVE :
It’s hard to choose, maybe ‘Radha Pink’ or ‘Daisy in front of Trailer’.
WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR MOST CHALLENGING PHOTOSHOOT :
The Cyndi Lauper record shoot. We had only a few minutes to shoot because Cyndi spent so much time on wardrobe. By the time she was ready, the light was gone.
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE SOME GETTING INTO THE INDUSTRY :
Stay true to your vision. It’s easy to get caught up in trends, but authenticity is what will set you apart in the long run.
WHATS ON YOUR BUCKET LIST :
I always wanted to see elephants in the wild and swim with dolphins.
WHAT’S THE CLOSEST YOU HAVE COME TO DEATH :
A hit and run motorcycle accident in 1989 in San Francisco.
IF YOU HAD A BOAT WHAT WOULD IT BE CALLED :
Hillbilly Heaven.
DO YOU LIKE BEING INTERVIEWED :
It’s a refreshing break to reflect, and fun to think about things I’ve never considered before.
WHAT’S YOUR MESSAGE :
Be good to Mother Nature.
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