FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
P.O. Box 5630, Helena, MT 59604 COLUMBUS IMPRESSIONS 800.821.3874 fax 406.443.5480 PHOTOGRAPHY BY: Randall Lee Schieber Linda Netschert FOREWORD BY: Robin Smith [email protected] PUBLICATION DATE: October 2011
1 1 406-422-1260 SPECS: 80 pages, 9 ⁄8" x 8 ⁄8", softcover, 95 color photographs
Sue Johnson ISBN 13: 978-1-56037-513-5 [email protected] PRICE: $12.95 406-422-1256
Local Photographer’s Images of Columbus the Subject of New Book When the sunset ignites the sky in fiery color and the lights of Downtown Columbus start to dance across the Scioto River, you know photographer Randall Schieber is somewhere nearby, camera in hand. A native of Ohio and longtime Columbus resident, Schieber is known for his ability to capture light in his photographs. “People comment that they can tell if a photo is one of mine—because of the way I treat light,” he explains. “I tend to gravitate toward interesting light, the drama of it.” He says that light, when handled well, brings emotion to a landscape shot and enhances drama in photographs of people. “It gives a photograph soul,” Schieber says. His luminous, beautifully composed photographs are the subject of a new book, devoted entirely to Columbus culture, history, and beauty, titled Columbus Impressions ($12.95, Farcountry Press, 2011). Schieber applied his magic touch with light to the book’s cover, which features a spectacular view of the Scioto Mile at night, taken from the Waterford Towers. But it was in Tucson, Arizona, that his 25-year-long career in photography began. The otherworldly sandstone canyons sparked a lifelong love for landscape photography. “A good landscape photograph should make you feel like you can walk into the picture,” he says. What Columbus might lack in way of mountains and canyons, he says, it more than makes up for in just being interesting. He’s fascinated by the settlement history of the city, its historic theaters, its art scene, and its food culture. His favorite photographic subjects are Columbus’ public spaces and its people. “I love to photograph the Topiary Garden,” Schieber says. He’s made the iconic garden based on the Georges Seurat painting “A Sunday Afternoon on the Isle of La Grande Jatte” the subject of three calendars. He’s also inspired by the city’s districts, including the Short North, German Village, and Victorian Village, and outlying areas like Dublin and Hannah. Schieber owns nearly a dozen cameras, but primarily uses his two favorite Nikons. And he’s begun to incorporate some rather unconventional tools to photograph Columbus. He attaches a camera to a large, radio-control airplane
FARCOUNTRY PRESS PO BOX 5630 HELENA, MONTANA 59604 WWW.FARCOUNTRYPRESS.COM (operated by a skilled friend, he adds) in order to capture aerial shots of familiar Columbus scenes, from weddings at Franklin Park Conservatory to broad cityscapes. He has a video camera attached to the airplane as well, which sends a live feed to a monitor on the ground. He is able to see what the still camera is seeing and snaps the shutter using a remote control when he’s found just the right composition for a shot. These days, Schieber’s getting geared up for Columbus’ bicentennial next year. “A lot of folks are excited we’ll have this book out in time for the bicentennial,” he says. “Columbus is an incredible place to live,” Schieber says, “and an exciting place to visit.” Columbus Impressions is available at Columbus-area bookstores and gift shops, through online retailers, or from Farcountry Press at 1.800.821.3874, www.farcountrypress.com.
About the Photographer Take a peek inside Based in Columbus, Ohio, Randall Lee Schieber has been a professional photographer for twenty-five years. Schieber was born in Findlay, Ohio, and spent his early childhood in Mexico City. He studied photography and art, first in Tucson, Arizona, and later at The Ohio State University. He went on to earn a BA degree from Kent State University, Kent, Ohio. Schieber’s work appears in five other books on Ohio and Columbus:Ohio Simply Above: Framing an evening view of downtown Columbus, the Art sign provides a graphic landmark on the campus of the Columbus College of Art and Design. From its position straddling East Gay Street, the bright-red declaration can be seen from blocks away.
Facing page: Dusk accentuates the burnished surfaces of Stephen Canneto’s NavStar at Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens. Inspired by the shape of the sextant, a navigational instrument used by sailors, the three triangular forms become the billowing sails of Beautiful, Ohio Impressions, Ohio Then and Now, ships. The easternmost “sail” points to the North Star. Columbus, Ohio: A Photographic Portrait and Beauty 10 11 in the Grove: Spring Grove Cemetery and Arboretum. His images have appeared in a variety of publications, including Ohio Magazine, Midwest Living, and the New York Times. Many of Schieber’s images are on display at Columbus’ Sears Distribution Center and McDonald’s restaurants, as well as at several Cleveland medical facilities. He has published numerous calendars on Columbus and is featured exclusively each year in the
This panoramic view of the Columbus skyline, as seen from the roof of the Condominiums at North Bank Park, encompasses most of the city’s downtown. Part of Nationwide Arena, including its light tower, is visible at the far left, and the Ohio Judicial Center can be seen at the far right; other major buildings shown include (from left) the Hyatt Regency Hotel, two buildings in the Nationwide Plaza complex, the William Green Building, the AEP Building, the James A. Rhodes State Office Tower, the Hyatt on Capitol Square, the LeVeque Tower, the Huntington Center, and the Vern Ohio Scenic Calendar. View more of Randall’s work at 48 Riffe State Office Tower. The green space and several of the buildings in the left foreground occupy part of the former Ohio Penitentiary site. 49 www.randallschieber.com.
About Farcountry Press
Left: The Palm House at the Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens is illuminated each day at dusk by artist James Turrell’s Light Raiment II. The changing colors of this permanent light show lend a magical air to the grand Victorian structure, which opened to the public in 1895. Today, the enlarged Conservatory sits amid ninety-three acres of gardens and hosts events such as the annual Blooms and Butterflies, when Celebrating its 31st year in 2011, the award-winning hundreds of butterflies are released amid the indoor horticultural displays. Below: At Topiary Park, the elaborate topiaries of sculptor James T. Mason recreate the Georges Seurat painting A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grand Jatte, even including a curly-tailed topiary monkey. Located on the grounds of the old Ohio School for the Deaf and enclosed by an antique iron fence that once publisher specializes in softcover and hardcover color surrounded the Ohio Statehouse, the park also offers landscaped walking paths and picnic tables. photography books showcasing the nation’s cities, states, national parks, and wildlife. Farcountry also publishes several popular children’s series, as well as guidebooks, cookbooks, and regional history titles nationwide. The staff produces about 25 books annually; the 29 backlist has grown to more than 300 titles.
Left: The fireworks from Columbus’s annual Fourth of July celebration, Red, White, and Boom!, erupt above the www.farcountrypress.com, 800.821.3874 blue neon arch on the Arena District’s outdoor video wall. Anchored by Nation- wide Arena, the home of the National Hockey League’s Columbus Blue Jack- ets and a major entertainment venue, the Arena District is a lively destination for dining and nightlife.
Far left: A crowd enjoys Red, White, and Boom! through the elegant Beaux- Arts arch at McPherson Commons in the Arena District. The arch, designed by famed Chicago architect Daniel Burnham, is the only remnant of Union To schedule an interview or to receive a press kit Station, once a major Ohio rail hub. After the station was demolished in 1976, the arch was first rebuilt in 1979 in a small park at Marconi Boulevard and Hickory Street, then moved to its (cover image, interior photos, review copy), contact present location in 1998. Sue Johnson, 406.422.1256, [email protected].
18 19
FARCOUNTRY PRESS PO BOX 5630 HELENA, MONTANA 59604 WWW.FARCOUNTRYPRESS.COM