Arriving from Minnesota,  Schmickle found a new land filled with inspiration: the American Southwest.  With his wife Tami, he settled in the small community of Bayfield, Colorado soaking up breath taking scenery at the doorstep of the San Juan Mountains .  In 2010, he and Tami relocated to Sedona, Arizona. Capturing the qualities of light, texture, combined with sky and air, Schmickle captures the essence of the landscape through digital photography.  He ensures a scene is optimally captured in the camera and works to bring subtle nuances of the image in the digital darkroom.

His images depict the rigidity and strength of the mountains and rock formations, as well as the serenity of a moving body of water.  He has always been at home in the computer world, stepping down from a lengthy career in software engineering to pursue a dream.  This makes more sense knowing he personally custom prints his images.  By printing his images, he controls the color management of each image created by digital darkroom techniques creating a vibrant metamorphosis of color and dimension in his photographs.  “I have an earnest desire to give voice to the land through my images”, states Schmickle.

    REACHING ASPENS,
digital color photograph

    CRYSTAL MILL, 
digital color photograph