Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Schmidt Demas. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Schmidt, thanks for joining us today. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?
When I was in college I took an intro to digital photography class because I needed an art credit to graduate. As I was going through this course it reignited a passion that I had long ago and when that passion returned I vowed to never let it slip away again. Using the prior knowledge that I gained in my intro class I decided to go to the most affordable institution to learn more, Youtube! I would spend hours and hours searching through Youtube looking for any information that can help me grow. I watched videos about gear, techniques on lighting and composition and so much more. I feel that the best teacher is experience so if I started getting out there sooner with my camera and just learned through trial and error I would’ve improved at a quicker rate. I think the most important skills were obviously understanding my settings, understanding lighting and composition but also training my creative eye. An obstacle that stood in my way was shyness, I would often turn down opportunities because it was out of my comfort zone even if I knew that it would make me a better photographer. Another obstacle that presented itself was comparing myself to other photographers. I was so caught up in how other photographers were “better than me” that I didn’t see the growth that I was making every single day.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
My name is Schmidt Demas of Schmidt Demas Photography and I started taking photos around 2013. I am a portrait photographer originally from Connecticut but I moved out to the Boston area 7 years ago. Something I am really passionate about that people may not know about me is that I love working with the youth. Photography isn’t my full time job, I actually am an Art teacher in Boston working with students in grades K-8. I have the opportunity to teach kids about photography and general art. Working with the youth allows me to think differently and they inspire me in my photography to try new things and to take risks. I am proud of the work I do with my students because I serve as a role model and I also am an example of someone who followed their passion and is living out their dream every single day.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
I think the most rewarding aspect of being a creative is the process. Coming up with a vision, planning how you will bring it to life and then executing your plan. I love everything about it. The planning, the inspo, the process of taking the photos and directing the clients and lastly, even though it takes time, editing the photos.
We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?
I think this is an interesting question because I’m not quite where I want to be on social media yet. I built my audience by just posting what felt true to me. I love capturing the beauty in people, their unique style and look, their confidence. I felt like I was making some growth and then the algorithm changed and now I feel like I’m not as visible. At first I was discouraged because my posts weren’t performing as I expected but I had to realize that I shouldn’t be chasing likes, I should be posting for the love of the art and nothing else and everything else would fall into place. So my advice is, just post without expectations, don’t hold on to your content because you fear it’s not perfect, share your art because you never know who can be positively affected by it.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.demasphotography.com/
- Instagram: @schmidtdemasphotography
Image Credits
Schmidt Demas Photography