Biography on thomas r schiff
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Schiff helped establish Images Center in Cincinnati in 1980 and he is the founder of FotoFocus, a lens-based art biennial held in Cincinnati. “Through his own photographic work and that of FotoFocus, Mr. Schiff has done much to advance engagement with lens-based art. While the books often explore a theme or location, Schiff dedicated two books to exploring the work of a single architect, Frank Lloyd Wright.
“I ended up visiting over 100 buildings by Wright around the country and photographed them,” Schiff said.
He has just completed a book about the architectural legacy of J. Irwin Miller and the city of Columbus, Indiana.
Books by Thomas R. Schiff
OHIO alum and distinguished photographer Thomas Schiff donates personal collection to University Libraries
Acclaimed photographer and businessman, Thomas R.
Schiff, captures stunning views of architecture across the U.S. through his iconic Hulcherma 360 panoramic camera which takes a unique angle on photography by encapsulating a full 360-degree image. Expanding the human field of vision, it allows us to see what is in front of us, to either side, and behind us, all at once.
Living in a densely image-saturated world, we are accustomed to seeing landmarks in our physical or virtual environments from particular perspectives, especially the scenic points that make the San Francisco Bay Area so appealing.
Schiff helped establish Images Gallery in Cincinnati in 1980 and, in 2010, he co-founded FotoFocus, a non-profit organization created to celebrate and champion photography and lens-based art.
About Harvey Milk Photo Center
Celebrating over 75 years, the Harvey Milk Photo Center is the oldest and largest community wet darkroom in the United States, and is associated with the San Francisco Recreation & Parks Department.
Schiff’s elegant, vibrantly rendered images interrupt that easy cognitive shorthand. Laura Smith, photo archivist and the curator of the collection, mentioned that Schiff’s works will benefit teaching and learning at Ohio University as well as researchers worldwide.
“For the OHIO community, I think there’s a lot of exciting opportunities to incorporate these photographs in the curriculum and classwork that include anything from the photographic technique and process…to the film photography to the digitized versions, as well as studying the subjects of the photographs,” Smith said.
Schiff has always had close ties and love for his alma mater.
A photographer since childhood, he has continued working in various photographic formats for the past forty years. His images include broad cityscapes, city halls, movie theaters, art museums, religious sites and more. In 2009, Schiff photographed the exterior of Alden Library in the memorable piece entitled, “Vernon R. Alden Library, Panoramic Photograph,” which was also the three-millionth addition to Ohio University Libraries that was unveiled at Alden Library’s 40th anniversary celebration.
This is a truly wonderful addition to the Libraries’ Documentary Photography Archive.”
For more information about the Thomas R. Schiff collection, please contact Laura Smith, photo archivist.
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Civic buildings, city halls, the U.S. Capitol building, the U.S. Supreme Court and other significant pieces of architecture will be included in the project.Schiff’s colorful panoramic photography captures stunning and extraordinary architectural views that offer a new way of seeing the built environment.
Schiff’s mastery of panoramic techniques produces thrilling and unexpected views that refresh our perspective of sites known worldwide for their dramatic beauty.
Panoramic photography is a specialized technique in which a camera rotates in a broad sweep, capturing a continuous image of the world around it. His early work featured black and white images focused on architectural detail, storefront facades and windows.
One is a book of photos from around the country titled, ‘Wright Panorama’, and the other book, ‘Wright in Ohio,’ showcases…11 Frank Lloyd Wright buildings in Ohio.”
Currently, Schiff is working on a project for 2026 celebrating America’s 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
He had gotten a Kodak Brownie camera and later set up a dark room in his basement at around 11 years old before taking pictures for his high school yearbook and newspaper. Through his lens, we are encouraged to recognize distortion as a generative looking opportunity, to see what we think we know anew.
Schiff studied photography under Clarence White, Jr.
and Arnold Gassan while earning a BBA degree from Ohio University in 1970. Other photographers featured in the archive include: Lynn Johnson, world-renown photojournalist and Ohio University Knight Fellow of ‘04, Peter L. Goss, an OHIO alum of ‘73 who took photos of Ohio University and the surrounding area from 1966-1970, Lloyd E. Moore, a lawyer and photographer of the Southeast Ohio region and Leonard “Len” Vaughn-Lahman, a photojournalist known for his work covering the environment, immigration and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq after the September, 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
The collections in the Documentary Photography Archive, including Schiff’s new donation, are available for anyone to view and use for research.
University Libraries is honored to be the place to make those things happen.
“It's a great opportunity for…my collection to be cared for under such superior circumstances,” Schiff said. The archive currently is made up of four different collections with Schiff’s donation being the fifth and newest addition. He invites us to see what is familiar in public spaces—SFMOMA’s main lobby or the plaza that fronts the Contemporary Jewish Museum—from a different perspective.
The donation to University Libraries comprises of approximately 2,000 of his panoramic color prints measuring about three to six feet in length, 200 black and white prints, born-digital archival material and correspondence. “The archives of Ohio University Libraries will do a terrific job of keeping them in shape.”
Neil Romanosky, dean of University Libraries, is thrilled and honored that Schiff is donating such a large portion of his collection to University Libraries.
“I am also grateful for Schiff’s generosity in supporting the ongoing work and infrastructure that will enable the Libraries to make this collection available to students and researchers for generations to come,” Romanosky said.