Today we’d like to introduce you to Chay Schmidt.
Every artist has a unique story. Can you briefly walk us through yours?
I picked up my first camera on a family trip to France in the summer of 2015. Ever since then I have fallen in love with photography. I began by taking photos of my friends and family and still lifes around the house for fun but never got serious about photography until my senior year of high school. At the time I was entertaining the idea of pursuing a career in medicine. Set on becoming America’s next greatest Physician’s Assistant I made the choice to drop my second year of AP Studio Art and enroll in Clinical Rotations, a medical career-readiness course. Having dropped art, I found myself pursuing an outlet for creativity more and more outside the classroom in the form of photography. Photoshoots with friends became more frequent and before I knew it people started paying me to take their senior portraits. As my confidence with a lens grew I began networking with Houston area photographers and models at meet ups and over social media. Having rediscovered my passion for art through photography I decided to major in Graphic Design and pursue a career in Advertising. Not a day goes by where I question my decision. Photography has brought me into contact with so many amazing people and opportunities these past couple years. I wouldn’t be where I am today without it!
Please tell us about your art.
Ever since I could remember I’ve been fascinate with drawing the human face. Although our bodies follow the same blueprint no one looks the same, everyone is different and unique in their own way and that’s why the face is so intriguing to me. Naturally my subjects in drawing translated to the subject of my photography: portraits. As I began taking portraits I came to realize that every face, whether posed or candid, tells a story and I attempt to tell that story in my art.
Recently I’ve taken up fashion and editorial styled photography. I love the way these styles of photographing focus on the whole human figure as well as its surroundings. When I edit my photographs, I like to edit to the mood of the subject to further incorporate them into the piece. I draw inspiration from local photographers within Texas as well as internationally recognized ones such as Platon.
Do you have any advice for other artists? Any lessons you wished you learned earlier?
The internet is over saturated with opportunities and outlets for artists to connect, display, and practice their work. However, this has made competition in the job market extremely competitive as companies, galleries, and the public desire works that are always new and cutting edge. The obstacle is that everyone is good at what they do, you just have to be better than everyone else to get noticed and I have a long road ahead of me before I get anywhere near great. Just remember to keep improving your skill! Even when you think your work is great there is always room to grow, learn, and get better.
Build a support system and don’t be afraid to ask for help! The best thing we can do to support local artists, besides purchasing their work, is by attending local art crawls and open galleries and placing faith in them. I wouldn’t be pursuing a career in the arts today if I did not have a support system of family and friends who believed in me and my talent.
How or where can people see your work? How can people support your work?
People can see my work on Instagram at @chaycharles_! Keep a lookout for a link in my bio to my new photography website. It’s a work in progress and should be finished soon.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @chaycharles_
Image Credit:
Hannah Purviss, Bradley Bates, Elizabeth Freeman, Jadie Walls
Getting in touch: VoyageHouston is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
