Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Bobby Scheidemann. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Bobby thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

The most meaningful project I’ve worked on personally was a project called This Road Has Tolls that explored interstate 35 in Austin, Texas through photography.

This project was inspired by a variety of things but I think what set everything in motion was sitting down and watching Fitzcarraldo by Werner Herzog at a very impressionable point in my Twenties. I was curious to see if I could explore and craft an artistic process after almost abandoning it a few years from getting my BFA. I was inspired by Sophie Calle’s Suite Vénitienne and Walker Evan’s Many Are Called. Both were exploring portraiture in very contemporary way at the time those bodies of work were produced. Calle was following her subjects from behind while documenting them and Evan’s created a hidden coat camera to document subway riders. I was curious in having an impossible conversation with them by engaging in similar methods in my own work. I pretended to be a traffic camera and photographed portraits of people caught in traffic every day on the highway during rush hour. I also explored the documenting what nature looked like as it existed alongside the highway. This body of work was exciting because I had crafted what I called a DIY MFA program where I utilized both the city’s public libraries for research and Office Depot print centers as a public facing studio. At the time you could utilize these specialty black and white printers that were for architectural blue prints, but with the right modification, you could print a beautiful 2×3 foot image for a few dollars. I went on to have my first and only solo art show at a local gallery within Austin. The work made it into a group publication by Mossless called Public/Private/Portrait, which was made in collaboration with Charlotte Cotton and the International Center for Photography. I worked on it with the Contemporary Art Museum in Austin by utilizing their residency program the Crit Group Austin. The work itself was a gateway into editorial photography and gave me access to working with publications like Vice Magazine, Bloomberg Businessweek, and The Rolling Stone.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

It all started with finding the black and white photo mode on a flip phone in 2005 in Atlantic City. That was the start and ever since then, whenever an opportunity has arisen to explore photography, either personally or professionally, I’ve always taken it. From there I was able to get into digital art classes in high school that allowed me to explore photography. A summer camp that I was a counselor at also allowed me to become the camp photographer. I was in charge of both my cabin, activities, and documenting everyday life. I was responsible for editing and uploading thousands of photos to their web portal so that parents could get a glimpse into what was going on from afar. I then enrolled at Texas State University and decided to pursue a photography degree. While there I also joined the university newspaper as a photojournalist and was also employed for the University as a event photographer. I’ve gone on to work for national publications and have my work in print and continue to work locally within Austin as an event photographer for non-profit companies. I’ve always been curious about trying it all.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

It’s a tool set that can be applied in a variety of ways within your life. It can either help you get out of a jam or help you understand how and why you got into the jam in the first place.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

Is it interesting? That is something I ask myself a lot. It sounds simple but it’s a slippery little question. A compass of sorts. Outside of that, when it comes to freelance photography, there is a joy getting an opportunity to interact within spaces that, under normal circumstances, would be completely off limits to me. It’s humbling and eye opening.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.bobbyscheidemann.net
• Instagram: @bobbyscheidemann

Image Credits

The Baffler