Everybody nowadays has a camera, but not everybody has an eye for photography. That's what California photographer Andrew Schmidt brings to every project he undertakes- an eye for photography that only longtime experience and passion can develop. Schmidt's keen sense of composition and readiness for that special moment combine for striking portraits, dramatic scenes and evocative event coverage.

Based in Huntington Beach, California, Schmidt was born in Illinois, but has spent most of his life in the West. Many years in California not only fed his passion for photography- constantly taking photos at concerts, on trips and of the area surf scene- but also his interest in history, drawing him into improv acting at Renaissance Faires and the Great Dickens Christmas Faire in San Francisco. His photography took a serious turn when Schmidt discovered clients for his web development business needed custom photo work for their projects. His extensive background in the living history/re-enactment movement has since sparked Schmidt's recently chosen niche- to chronicle the activities of kings, queens, pirates, soldiers, saints and scallywags as they make the past come alive.

Schmidt cites the intense detail that living history/re-enactment buffs apply to their pursuits as one reason the movement is so personally attractive. As a participant, Schmidt has experienced what goes into not only creating a period-perfect costume, but also in learning about language, culture and more. This informs his eye as a photographer as he searches for ways to express the experience of living history/re-enactment, not just what it looks like.

That distinction is what marks all of Schmidt's photo work, from gorgeous beach sunsets to well-known bluesmen to waves curling underneath local surfers to the gnarly grin of a rollicking pirate. It's not just a camera to Schmidt, it's a key a bigger experience.