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Click Here to View A Gallery of Dan Steinhardt's Images

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Dan Steinhardt © Greg Gorman

"Images from the Industry" is a monthly feature in which we focus on an individual who works for a photo-related business, but is not a full-time, professional photographer. We're always looking for subjects for this feature! We simply require that they be a great photographer, in addition to working in the photo industry.

All Images © Dan Steinhardt, Except Where Noted

Better known in the industry as "Dano," Dan Steinhardt is a recognized leader in the imaging industry and is currently the Marketing Manager for Advanced Amateur and Professional Photography Markets at Epson America, Inc.  What many did not know until recently is that he is also an accomplished photographer. Some come full circle in their lives but for Steinhardt, he continues to spin multiple circles.

Academic Excellence
Steinhardt's passion for photography began with his junior high school science club.  As club historian, he was required to take pictures of the field trips.  Within a few days, his interest shifted from science to photography and at age 13, he got his first SLR, which has taken him far beyond those science club outings.  

He also had the good fortune to attend Reseda High School in Southern California's San Fernando Valley, where teens who displayed talent in the photographic arts were given the opportunity to attend the school's nationally recognized photography program. "From the outside, Reseda was an average-looking high school," says Steinhardt, "but inside those darkrooms, talented people were honing skills for future careers."  Under the tutelage of the legendary Warren King, students like Jay Silverman, Jeff Sedlik, Gil Smith and Steinhardt made their way into successful photography careers.

Little Havana Mop

"As I look back, it was never about the equipment or the technology that we had, instead, it was about the legendary photographers Warren King exposed us to along with his guidance, inspiration and, at times, toughness. Warren kept a sign by his office that is ingrained in the minds of all who went through that program, 'Don't Tell Me How Good You Are, Show Me'." That adage has been a model for Steinhardt both personally and professionally.

During high school, Steinhardt earned numerous photography awards. The most prestigious came in 1976 when Scholastic Magazine honored him with the Grand Prize as the best high school photographer in North America. With King's help, he was already assisting commercial photographers in Hollywood, California, while still in high school. He was then recruited by the prestigious Brooks Institute of Photography and entered with advanced standing. He earned a B.A. degree with honors at 20, an age at which most students then were just beginning to attend Brooks.

Using the Right & Left Brain
After graduation, he moved to Chicago and assisted several commercial photographers.  "Los Angeles had a lot of talented people," he observes, "but didn't offer as much work as Chicago and New York, and I did not want to go to New York." From 1980-88, Steinhardt operated his own commercial studio in the Chicago Photo District specializing in advertising photography, "primarily food, table-top, and special effects, all on 8x10 view cameras." Eastman Kodak Company approached Steinhardt at a time when he was looking to make a change.  He was hired as a Technical Sales Rep, which at the time was considered one of the premier jobs in the industry. When asked by Kodak where he would like to relocate, his answer was an easy one: "Anywhere but New York City." But as luck would have it, New York was exactly where he was sent. Steinhardt moved there reluctantly and was given the New York Photo District as his territory, based on his background. "Within a week, I fell in love with the city and couldn't imagine living anywhere else. Today it's like my second home," he states. The New York City Photo District is considered by most to be the worldwide center of commercial photography, and it was there where he built lifelong relationships in the photo industry and a deep understanding of the business.  

Parking Lot, San Diego

"I was asked to move into a marketing role as the Commercial Photography Segment Manager for North America," Steinhardt says. "And I found my true calling in marketing." This position also gave him the opportunity to pursue executive programs in the business schools of Harvard University, the University of Virginia, and the University of Michigan. Eventually his business responsibilities evolved into strategic marketing on a worldwide basis. "I now had equal footing in the worlds of business and art, drawing on both the right and left side of the brain."

The Best of Both Worlds
He remained in this role at Kodak until 2000, when he was recruited by Epson America, Inc., as the Marketing Manager for Advanced Amateur and Professional Photographic Markets. For personal reasons he was not able to relocate back to his hometown of Los Angeles and in his current position, Steinhardt has an interesting long-distance commute. One week a month, he's in Epson America's headquarters in Long Beach, California, then travels to various events, trade shows and meetings throughout the North America, while still residing in upstate New York with his wife and two children.

"With the way communication is today and the need to be in New York City on a regular basis, I can carry out my marketing responsibilities not only with my office in Long Beach but often with colleagues in Japan and Europe.  It just means working all the time zones as many do in our flattening world." In addition to being the voice of the customer, Steinhardt helps to develop marketing communications for advanced amateur, professional and fine art markets, contributes to new product development and creates/manages programs like the Epson Stylus Pros and the award-winning Epson Print Academy.  The Print Academy is a daylong seminar series that tours the country with two separate tracks.  Track One is geared toward advanced amateurs while Track Two is specifically designed for the working professional photographer. "It's not just about printing but the entire workflow from capture to the highest quality print."  Another goal of the Print Academy is for amateurs and pros alike to rediscover the joy of photography through digital imaging and printing. "We don't want people to get so bogged down in technology that they forget how much fun it is or to forget the joy that I once had seeing my first print develop before my eyes in a darkroom at age 13."

O'Hare Airport Walkway, Chicago, Illinois

In his position with Epson, Steinhardt has the opportunity to work with some of the most notable photographers in the industry and some of his early influences, including Pete Turner, Jay Maisel, Steve McCurry, Walter Iooss, and the stellar list goes on. "In the process of helping others rediscover their passion for photography and collaborating with so many incredibly talented creative professionals, I actually rediscovered my own passion for photography and started shooting again," he remarks.

A number of these well-known photographers encouraged him to share his work at an informal gathering of photographers that meets once a month in New York City. "I've been hesitant to show my work because I didn't want to be seen as competing," he says. But as his friend and well-known photographer Jack Reznicki said after seeing his work that night, "Good work needs to be seen." So with that urging, Steinhardt put up a website of his recent images at http://www.digitalrailroad.net/dano.

"Everything on the site has been captured over the past three years," he explains. "And about 95% of these images were literally shot between meetings at Epson, or while traveling to events and trade shows." Steinhardt always attempts to find the extraordinary in the ordinary when taking pictures and his work is a testimony to the fact that he has a keen eye for great design, which he credits to the influence of the painter Rene Magritte, Farm Security Administration photographer Dorothea Lange, and environmental portraitist, Arnold Newman. He shoots with a Nikon D200, and uses only one lens, an AF-S Nikkor 18-200mm f/1.3.5-5.6 VR (Vibration Reduction). He also uses Adobe Photoshop CS2 and the beta version of CS3 as well as Adobe Lightroom. "Of course, I spend a lot of time printing," he says. Steinhardt alpha tests some of Epson's products, such as the Epson Stylus Pro 3800 printer.

Balloon Fiesta, Albuquerque, New Mexico

The Power of Imagery
Recently, Steinhardt was awarded 'Global Traveler of the Year' from United Airlines and Global Traveler magazine for demonstrating his clear understanding of "globility" after he submitted an essay accompanied by photographs from his travels. "When colleagues ask, 'Where in the world did you take this incredible photograph,' my response may be Singapore, Beijing, San Francisco, or the airport in Rochester, New York. It's not so much about finding an exotic location as it is about seeing the exotic that is all around us."

He believes strongly that "you need to tap into the right and left side of the brain to operate at 100% capacity in today's business world," and he's a good representative of this philosophy. "I feel extremely fortunate to be a member of the Epson team where I work with incredibly talented people within the company and with many of the world's leading creative professionals. I can also pursue photography in my spare time in its purest form."  But the best advice that he receives on a regular basis is from one of his mentors and personal heroes, Jay Maisel. "The master of light, gesture and color often reminds me, 'Always carry the camera because without it, it's really tough to take pictures'."

To learn more about Epson, visit http://www.epson.com.

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Click Here to View A Gallery of Dan Steinhardt's Images

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Let us know if you found this article useful, and tell us what kinds of articles you'd like to see in upcoming issues. Send your comments and ideas to Lynne Eodice.