Stephen Schafer HABS, HAER, HALS Photographer

Schaf Photo
AIAPLogo.pngPhone:  415-857-HAER 
E-Mail:  schaf@west.net


  

Bio

 

HAER_Photograph_-schafphoto_ladder.jpgStephen Schafer (AKA: Schaf) has dedicated his career to documenting the historic buildings, structures, and landscapes of our inherited environment with hundreds of completed projects to his credit. His portfolio is a testament to his love of the built environment, showcasing everything from the soaring heights of historic skyscrapers to the depths of newly bored subway tunnels. 

His work, extensively contributed to the prestigious HABS, HAER, and HALS collections at the Library of Congress, underscores his commitment to contribute to the national historical record. He specializes in archival, large-format black-and-white documentation photography, meticulously adhering to the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Architectural and Engineering Documentation. This ensures the long-term preservation and accessibility of his work for researchers, historians, and future generations.

Schaf Photo’s client list reflects his long career, encompassing institutions, corporations, and cities as diverse as San Francisco, Los Angeles, Riverside, Alameda, Santa Monica, San Jose, and Berkeley, as well as the Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles. He has served numerous educational entities, including the San Diego Unified, LA Unified, and Long Beach School Districts, Cornell University, UC San Francisco, UC Santa Cruz, Pepperdine University, and UCLA. His portfolio also includes work for organizations like Disneyland, the San Francisco Presidio Trust, the Getty Conservation Institute, the LA Conservancy, Caltrans, Caltrain, LA Metro Rail, SCE, PG&E, NASA, GSA, USGS, the National Park Service, the US Bureau of Reclamation, the Air Force, and the Navy, among others he is not at liberty to disclose.

Schafer's architectural photographs celebrate the character and legacy of American architecture and have been featured internationally in books and publications like the Wall Street Journal, Architect Magazine, the Los Angeles Times, Traditional Building Magazine, and the National Trust's Preservation Magazine. Notably, he documented 300 historic sites for the bestselling coffee table book: Preserving Los Angeles by Ken Bernstein. His documentary photographs have been used to nominate sites to the National Register of Historic Places and as CEQA and NEPA mitigation measures.


Schafer opened his photo studio – Schaf Photo – in Ventura, California in 1989 after attending the University of Cape Town and Brooks Institute of Photography. Now Schafer is sharing his knowledge and expertise with the next generation of photographers and preservationists. He started teaching photography in 1997 in the University of Pittsburgh’s Semester at Sea program aboard an ocean liner circumnavigating the globe, then at the LA Center of Photography and Cal State Northridge, and now at the USC School of Architecture.

A sought-after speaker, he has lectured on HABS/HAER/HALS best practices at the National Archives in Washington, D. C., the American Planning Association, the Association for Preservation Technology International, and the California Preservation Foundation. Mr. Schafer serves on the board of the San Buenaventura Conservancy for Preservation, and lives in downtown Ventura with his wife Sherry, in an 1881 folk Victorian farmhouse that they rehabilitated in 2001.




Download a printable BIO (PDF): SCHAFPHOTO-BIO.PDF

Download our projects list (PDF): PROJECTS LIST.PDF



Blog: HABS/HAER/HALS Photographer

Instagram: @HABS_Photographer

 Grainery: @HABS_Photographer 


 

TOWERTRUCK

Past Lectures & Presentations by Stephen Schafer: 

Architectural Photography 421, School of Architecture, University of Southern California, Part Time faculty, 2024-2025.

An Overview of HABS/HAER/HALS, Keynote speaker, American landscape project lecture series, Sanborn Map Library, California State University Northridge, November 2024.

Architectural and HABS/HAER Photography,
 School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Architectural Photography 3024, Guest Lecturer, June 2024.

Heritage Documentation
, University of Southern California, ARCH 552,
Guest Lecturer, Fall semester 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023.

Architectural, Documentary + HABS/HAER/HALS Photography, University of Southern California,
Guest Lecturer, Summer preservation program: 2011, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024.

HABS Case Study at the Neutra Reunion House
, hands-on demonstrations and lecture on HABS/HAER/HALS photography. Association for Preservation Technology, March 2023. WCAPT.org

Introduction to Landscape Photography, California Garden and Landscape History Society, November 2021 (Youtube link to free webinar: Youtube.com) .

HABS, HAER, HALS History & Practice, University of Pennsylvania, Weitzman School of Design, Graduate Program in Historic Preservation, Documentation, Research, Recording II, Guest Lecturer, April 2020.

Historic American Buildings Survey Photography and History, Los Angeles Breakfast Club, Friendship Auditorium Los Feliz, Presentation and Q&A, June 2018.

Capturing History Forever, Photographing for the Historic American Buildings Survey, Photo Friends for the Los Angeles Public Library, Presentation and Q&A, June 2018.

HABS, HAER, HALS Overview & Case Studies, California Preservation Foundation, 2018. Architectural Photography and Documentation for Preservation Professionals, CPF, Annual Preservation Conferences, 2010, 2011, 2010, 2009. HABS, HAER, HALS Photography In Depth, 2015. New Photo Technologies for HABS, HAER, HALS & Surveys, 2012, 2011. Photography for Historic Resource Surveys, CPF Workshop, Tustin, 2010.

Association For Preservation Technology International, Documentation Technologies Workshop,
Point Reyes National Seashore, Marin County, 2017.

ART 455 B/C, Advertising Photography, California State University Northridge, part-time faculty, Spring Semester 2016.

The New Photographers of Mid Century Modern Architecture, Moderator, Modernism Week, Palm Springs art Museum, Annenberg Theater, Palm Springs, California, February 2016.

Historic Context Statements Sessions & CEQA Mitigation Strategies Sessions, California Preservation Foundation – Workshops, Norco, Ventura, Sonoma, San Francisco, California, 2011. San Francisco 2010, 2014, 2015.

PT-Colma-2017-schafphoto-0860-HAER_Photograph_by_S_Schafer-0860.jpg

Architecture on Location, 2018 & 2019. Light Anything, Anytime, Anywhere, 2015, 2016, 2017.

Introduction to Large Format Photography, the Los Angeles Center of Photography Workshops, Hollywood, California, 2015.

Then & Now Architectural Photography, Museum of Ventura County, Arts & Letters, Ventura, California, September 2013.

CEQA Mitigation for Historic Resources, California Preservation Foundation, CEQA Legal Issues Workshop, San Francisco, California, July 2013. CEQA Mitigation for Historic Resources, American Planning Association, APA-CA Annual Conference, Santa Barbara, California, September 2011.

FOCUS ON THE FUTURE: Creating Born-Digital Standards for Large Format Photography, with Anne Mason, HDP, Society for Imaging Science & Technology, 2013 IS&T Imaging Symposium, National Archives, Washington DC, April 2013.

Building Relationships in Public Policy, Santa Barbara Conservancy – Keynote Speaker, 2011.

Survey Photography for SurveyLA, City of Los Angeles Office of Historic Resources, Los Angeles City Hall, December 2008. Tutorial available online: Survey LA Tutorial

The Fast & Furious: The Reality of Assignment Shoots, 2009. From Shoot to Show: Preparing your Images for Exhibit, 2007. Creative Tabletops: Understanding Product Lighting, 2006. The Poetry of Infrared 1999-2010, Film infrared photography workshops, at Julia Dean Photography Workshops. The Poetry of Infrared, photography Workshop, at Freestyle, Hollywood, 2009.

Shooting Interiors from Start to Finish, Calumet Photographic workshop series, Santa Barbara, 1999.

 

Stephen Schafer  |  SCHAF PHOTO

DOCUMENTING OUR INHERITED ENVIRONMENT

HABS HAER HALS & Architectural Photography

Ventura, California  | (415) 857-HAER

www.HABSPHOTO.com


 

CONTACT and ABOUT

Stephen Schafer HABS, HAER, HALS Photographer

Schaf Photo
AIAPLogo.pngPhone:  415-857-HAER 
E-Mail:  schaf@west.net


  

Bio

 

HAER_Photograph_-schafphoto_ladder.jpgStephen Schafer (AKA: Schaf) has dedicated his career to documenting the historic buildings, structures, and landscapes of our inherited environment with hundreds of completed projects to his credit. His portfolio is a testament to his love of the built environment, showcasing everything from the soaring heights of historic skyscrapers to the depths of newly bored subway tunnels. 

His work, extensively contributed to the prestigious HABS, HAER, and HALS collections at the Library of Congress, underscores his commitment to contribute to the national historical record. He specializes in archival, large-format black-and-white documentation photography, meticulously adhering to the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Architectural and Engineering Documentation. This ensures the long-term preservation and accessibility of his work for researchers, historians, and future generations.

Schaf Photo’s client list reflects his long career, encompassing institutions, corporations, and cities as diverse as San Francisco, Los Angeles, Riverside, Alameda, Santa Monica, San Jose, and Berkeley, as well as the Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles. He has served numerous educational entities, including the San Diego Unified, LA Unified, and Long Beach School Districts, Cornell University, UC San Francisco, UC Santa Cruz, Pepperdine University, and UCLA. His portfolio also includes work for organizations like Disneyland, the San Francisco Presidio Trust, the Getty Conservation Institute, the LA Conservancy, Caltrans, Caltrain, LA Metro Rail, SCE, PG&E, NASA, GSA, USGS, the National Park Service, the US Bureau of Reclamation, the Air Force, and the Navy, among others he is not at liberty to disclose.

Schafer's architectural photographs celebrate the character and legacy of American architecture and have been featured internationally in books and publications like the Wall Street Journal, Architect Magazine, the Los Angeles Times, Traditional Building Magazine, and the National Trust's Preservation Magazine. Notably, he documented 300 historic sites for the bestselling coffee table book: Preserving Los Angeles by Ken Bernstein. His documentary photographs have been used to nominate sites to the National Register of Historic Places and as CEQA and NEPA mitigation measures.


Schafer opened his photo studio – Schaf Photo – in Ventura, California in 1989 after attending the University of Cape Town and Brooks Institute of Photography. Now Schafer is sharing his knowledge and expertise with the next generation of photographers and preservationists. He started teaching photography in 1997 in the University of Pittsburgh’s Semester at Sea program aboard an ocean liner circumnavigating the globe, then at the LA Center of Photography and Cal State Northridge, and now at the USC School of Architecture.

A sought-after speaker, he has lectured on HABS/HAER/HALS best practices at the National Archives in Washington, D. C., the American Planning Association, the Association for Preservation Technology International, and the California Preservation Foundation. Mr. Schafer serves on the board of the San Buenaventura Conservancy for Preservation, and lives in downtown Ventura with his wife Sherry, in an 1881 folk Victorian farmhouse that they rehabilitated in 2001.




Download a printable BIO (PDF): SCHAFPHOTO-BIO.PDF

Download our projects list (PDF): PROJECTS LIST.PDF



 

TOWERTRUCK

Past Lectures & Presentations by Stephen Schafer: 

Architectural Photography 421, School of Architecture, University of Southern California, Part Time faculty, 2024-2025.

An Overview of HABS/HAER/HALS, Keynote speaker, American landscape project lecture series, Sanborn Map Library, California State University Northridge, November 2024.

Architectural and HABS/HAER Photography,
 School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Architectural Photography 3024, Guest Lecturer, June 2024.

Heritage Documentation
, University of Southern California, ARCH 552,
Guest Lecturer, Fall semester 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023.

Architectural, Documentary + HABS/HAER/HALS Photography, University of Southern California,
Guest Lecturer, Summer preservation program: 2011, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024.

HABS Case Study at the Neutra Reunion House
, hands-on demonstrations and lecture on HABS/HAER/HALS photography. Association for Preservation Technology, March 2023. WCAPT.org

Introduction to Landscape Photography, California Garden and Landscape History Society, November 2021 (Youtube link to free webinar: Youtube.com) .

HABS, HAER, HALS History & Practice, University of Pennsylvania, Weitzman School of Design, Graduate Program in Historic Preservation, Documentation, Research, Recording II, Guest Lecturer, April 2020.

Historic American Buildings Survey Photography and History, Los Angeles Breakfast Club, Friendship Auditorium Los Feliz, Presentation and Q&A, June 2018.

Capturing History Forever, Photographing for the Historic American Buildings Survey, Photo Friends for the Los Angeles Public Library, Presentation and Q&A, June 2018.

HABS, HAER, HALS Overview & Case Studies, California Preservation Foundation, 2018. Architectural Photography and Documentation for Preservation Professionals, CPF, Annual Preservation Conferences, 2010, 2011, 2010, 2009. HABS, HAER, HALS Photography In Depth, 2015. New Photo Technologies for HABS, HAER, HALS & Surveys, 2012, 2011. Photography for Historic Resource Surveys, CPF Workshop, Tustin, 2010.

Association For Preservation Technology International, Documentation Technologies Workshop,
Point Reyes National Seashore, Marin County, 2017.

ART 455 B/C, Advertising Photography, California State University Northridge, part-time faculty, Spring Semester 2016.

The New Photographers of Mid Century Modern Architecture, Moderator, Modernism Week, Palm Springs art Museum, Annenberg Theater, Palm Springs, California, February 2016.

Historic Context Statements Sessions & CEQA Mitigation Strategies Sessions, California Preservation Foundation – Workshops, Norco, Ventura, Sonoma, San Francisco, California, 2011. San Francisco 2010, 2014, 2015.

PT-Colma-2017-schafphoto-0860-HAER_Photograph_by_S_Schafer-0860.jpg

Architecture on Location, 2018 & 2019. Light Anything, Anytime, Anywhere, 2015, 2016, 2017.

Introduction to Large Format Photography, the Los Angeles Center of Photography Workshops, Hollywood, California, 2015.

Then & Now Architectural Photography, Museum of Ventura County, Arts & Letters, Ventura, California, September 2013.

CEQA Mitigation for Historic Resources, California Preservation Foundation, CEQA Legal Issues Workshop, San Francisco, California, July 2013. CEQA Mitigation for Historic Resources, American Planning Association, APA-CA Annual Conference, Santa Barbara, California, September 2011.

FOCUS ON THE FUTURE: Creating Born-Digital Standards for Large Format Photography, with Anne Mason, HDP, Society for Imaging Science & Technology, 2013 IS&T Imaging Symposium, National Archives, Washington DC, April 2013.

Building Relationships in Public Policy, Santa Barbara Conservancy – Keynote Speaker, 2011.

Survey Photography for SurveyLA, City of Los Angeles Office of Historic Resources, Los Angeles City Hall, December 2008. Tutorial available online: Survey LA Tutorial

The Fast & Furious: The Reality of Assignment Shoots, 2009. From Shoot to Show: Preparing your Images for Exhibit, 2007. Creative Tabletops: Understanding Product Lighting, 2006. The Poetry of Infrared 1999-2010, Film infrared photography workshops, at Julia Dean Photography Workshops. The Poetry of Infrared, photography Workshop, at Freestyle, Hollywood, 2009.

Shooting Interiors from Start to Finish, Calumet Photographic workshop series, Santa Barbara, 1999.

 

Stephen Schafer  |  SCHAF PHOTO

DOCUMENTING OUR INHERITED ENVIRONMENT

HABS HAER HALS & Architectural Photography

Ventura, California  | (415) 857-HAER

www.HABSPHOTO.com