About Me

I’ve spent more than 15 years telling stories through a camera.

I’m Skooter Schultz, a photographer and filmmaker based in Oregon. My background is in documentary filmmaking, cinematography, and photography, and over the years that work has taken me across the country photographing people, places, landscapes, and the little details most of us pass by without thinking twice.

My relationship with photography actually started before it became my career. I spent 7½ years in the United States Air Force, where I worked loading cargo onto some very large airplanes and, somewhere along the way, developed a passion for photography. What started as an interest eventually became the way I see the world.

I’ve lived in six different states, spent four years living in Germany, and traveled to 47 of the 50 states. All of that moving and traveling has had a profound influence on my photography. I’ve learned that interesting photographs aren’t confined to famous landmarks or spectacular destinations. Sometimes the most compelling image is hiding along a road you’ve driven a hundred times.

That’s what I’m usually looking for.

I’m especially drawn to the intersection between the natural and the human-made—the geometry of a bridge, powerlines cutting through an open landscape, the character of an old building, or the way light can completely transform a familiar place. I like photographs that reward a second look. Sometimes it’s the subject that catches my attention; other times it’s a shape, a shadow, a bit of symmetry, or something slightly strange that makes me stop and raise the camera.

That curiosity extends well beyond photography. I love astronomy, geology, movies, comedy, road trips, and just about any conversation involving cameras. I think all of those interests influence the way I photograph. I’m fascinated by scale, structure, history, perspective, and the stories embedded in places.

For years, much of my photography existed alongside my filmmaking work. Eventually, I realized I wanted these images to have a life beyond a hard drive. I wanted them printed, framed, hung on walls, given as gifts, and lived with.

That’s what this site is about.

I create fine art photography that is meant to be accessible, distinctive, and actually enjoyable to own. I offer prints, limited editions, collections, and calendars without treating fine art like something that should only be available to galleries or collectors with enormous budgets.

Outside of work, I’m the oldest of 12 siblings, happily married, and share my home with a rescue pit bull named Grandma. I’m also probably more enthusiastic about cassette tapes than anyone reasonably should be—and I have multiple fantasy football championships that I will absolutely count as accomplishments.

I take the photography seriously. Myself, slightly less so.

Whether I’m photographing the Pacific Northwest or standing on a street thousands of miles from home, the goal is essentially the same:

Find something worth noticing—and photograph it in a way that makes someone else notice it too.

— Skooter Schultz