By Nigel Parry—When photographer Jeff Schad and his wife Linsey moved into the Tilsner Artists Cooperative in Lowertown in Spring 2017, “specifically to be a part of the artist community”, he really didn’t know a lot about the neighborhood. “I wanted to be able to participate in the Art Crawls and to have a live/work studio space for portrait work.”

I knew that there were artist lofts, historic buildings, and lots of history and it seemed like a really unique location with the Union Depot, the Farmers Market, and the CHS field all so close. I always thought it looked so romantic when we use to drive through Lowertown especially in the winter.”

The obvious presence of community in the heart of the Downtown area was also a big draw. “When we first moved here, we would frequent Golden’s and were blown away by what a small town community vibe there was here. I love seeing familiar faces on the streets and local businesses here.”

Gallery: “If Lowertown Took Selfies…”

Neighborhood photos by Jeff Schad. Click to start gallery.

Commercial work

Under his commercial business name, Jeff Schad Imagery, Jeff’s work focus includes wedding and engagements, family and senior portraits, events, real estate and product photography. Clients have included the Minnesota Historical Society, Metro Transit, the Union Depot, WCCO, Visit Saint Paul, the Golden Valley Pride Festival, Minnesota Adult and Teen Challenge, Habitat for Humanity, the Minnesota Zoo, Minnesota Parent Magazine as well as being nationally publications.

“I feel like I’m still figuring my focus out,” Jeff continues, “I absolutely love working with different types of light and doing portrait work although I was terrified of it at first. I really enjoy shooting weddings and love the creativity of senior portraits.”

Timelapse: Jeff setting up his Tilsner studio for a product shoot

New to photography

“Oddly enough I am new to photography,” Jeff notes, “I have only been taking photos for about four years and the last three years I have made a living solely from photography. I was an automotive technician and worked on cars for almost twenty years, I had a minor back injury and realized I couldn’t keep doing what I was doing.”

“I ended up buying a digital camera and with a lot of encouragement from my wife started learning how to use it. I began spending all my time experimenting with it and literally stumbled upon my passion for photography this way. I started off doing a lot of night photography. I never would have known, sometimes an injury isn’t all bad!”

Native American activism

Jeff’s photographic journey has also led to exposure to the Native American struggle, and a portfolio from recent Native activist events.

“Several years ago when the Dakota Access pipeline was trying to route through the Standing Rock Indian Reservation in North Dakota, my wife was very active in the resistance and I started going along with her to the protests here in Saint Paul and Minneapolis and I would always bring my camera with to document.”

“I ended up meeting a lot of the organizers of these events and would be asked to photograph for groups like Native Lives Matter, MN350.org, Mni Ki Wakan, New Native Theater and more. We also made a trip to show solidarity and make donations at Standing Rock with a local Anishinaabe woman and a group of Sámi women in the fall of 2016, an experience that will stay with me forever.”

Visit Jeff during the Saint Paul Art Crawl

Jeff will be open for the Saint Paul Art Crawl out of his studio, #202 at the Tilsner Artist Lofts, 300 Broadway Street, Saint Paul, MN 55101, on Friday October 11th from 6-10pm, Saturday October 12th from 12-8pm, and Sunday October 13th from 12-2:30pm.

More information

Web: jeffschadimagery.com
Facebook: facebook.com/jeffschadimagery
Instagram: instagram.com/jeffschadimagery