Thomas Schaeffer, born in 1965, was infected with the virus of photography by his father at the age of 10. He started with 35mm b/w, slide film, and view finder cameras with fixed lenses.
It was in 1981 when he bought his first SLR, a Canon AE-1, that he started more serious shooting, consequently buying more lenses, then in 1983 a Canon A-1. By that time he also become familiar with b/w lab work and joined some photography classes in school. After school and during military service, university, and the early working years as an engineer, photography was reduced to just holiday shooting. Then in 1993 he bought a new Canon EOS 100 during a trip to the US southwest as a replacement for his broken Canon A-1.
The motive-rich southwest and the new technology re-ignited his love for photography. So after returning from the US Southwest he started photographing regularly as well as conducting slide shows on a small scale for regional audiences. Over the years he has added to and upgraded his equipment both for cameras and projection, preparing slide shows about every trip he and his wife made to the US west and Canada in the 1990s. He also authored two travel-guide style CDs about the US west and Alaska, which ran on PCs.
It was in 2001, after some terrorist spoiled a planned trip in September to the southwest, that he bought his first Canon EOS D30 instead. The switch to fully digital boosted both his skills and picture frequency immediately. Now the complete connection between his two passions, photography and computers, was available. Moving on to the D60 and 20D cameras, replacing all lenses to better ones along the way was only logical. Another boost for the passion came in 2005 on a workshop on Vancouver Island with pro-photographer Rolf Hicker, where he not only learnt a lot but also shot stunning pictures of whales and the canadian landscape. Today he specializes in Travel, Landscape and wildlife photography, which he conducts mainly during his holiday trips to Europe, the US and Canada.
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Dunnottar Castle Aberdeenshire The sunrise light coming through the clouds above at Dunnottar Castle, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, Europe. The spectacular scenery of Dunnottar Castle near Stonehaven in Aberdeenshire even gets more... |
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Fort Augustus Scotland Neptune's Staircase in Fort Angustus in Scotland, Europe. The 7 locks in Fort Augustus at the banks of the famous Loch Ness representing one end of the... |
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Urquhart Castle Loch Ness Urquhart Castle with night lighting on the banks of Loch Ness, Scotland, Europe. The ancient ruin of Urquhart Castle at the banks of the famous -monster infested- Loch Ness is a... |
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Hebridean Islands Scotland The late afternoon sun turns the water silver between the Hebridean Islands in Scotland, Europe. In the afternoon light the sea between the hebridean islands shines like quicksilver. This light is... |
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Dunvegan Castle Gardens Wild garden in the grounds of Dunvegan Castle in Scotland, Europe. In the garden of the home castle of the clan McLeod an abundancy of Scottish bluebells bloom. This... |
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Waterfall Hebrides Scotland A waterfall situated in the Hebrides region of Scotland, Europe. Scenes like this are very common on the green Isle of Skye. The abundance of water, from the sea... |
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Sunset Scotland Evening sky in The Isle of Skye, Scotland as the sunset light hits the clouds. The perfect day on the Isle of Skye can be ended perfectly by watching the sunset at the quiet and... |
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Eilean Donan Castle Scotland Eilean Donan Castle on an island perch in Loch Duich, Scotland, Europe. The very neat castle of Eilean Donan sits on a small island in Loch Duich near Dornie, Scotland.... |
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Sunset North Sea Sunset mood at Vorupoers sandy harbor along the coast of the North Sea in Denmark. The setting sun is bathing the sandy harbor of the danish west coast town of Vorupoer in a golden... |
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Coombe Abbey Coventry England The Quiet Coombe abbey near the industrial city of Coventry in England, Europe. The picturesque ancient cloister of Coombe Abbey near Coventry lays surrounded by parks and small... |
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Edinburgh City Scotland An overview of the city of Edinburgh, Scotland at night. From Calton Hill above Princess street you have the best view over the whole city of Edinburgh, the... |
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St Andrews Scotland White puffy clouds above St Andrews in Scotland, Europe. Golfers may know St.Andrews as the city, where their sport was invented. But not only golfers come... |
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Glamis Castle Scotland Glamis Castle in the Scottish Highlands, Europe. Glamis Castle in the southern parts of the Scottish Highlands is one of the castles Shakespeare... |
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Stonehaven Scotland Beached boats line the harbour at low tide in Stonehaven in Scotland, Europe. Stonehaven, best know for its proximity to Dunnottar Castle in Aberdeenshire, also has many sights... |
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Scotland Coast The rugged but beautiful North Coast of Scotland, Europe. The rugged North Coast is widely known for its contrasts between green farmlands and steep cliffs... |
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Open Air Museum Scotland The Open Air Museum Of The Isle Of Skye in Scotland, Europe. In the museum of the Isles on the Northwestern Peninsula of Trotternish on the Isle of Skye the... |
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Brandenburger Tor Germany Quadriga on the Brandenburger Tor Germany, Europe. Shortly after nightfall the illumination comes up on all the famous buildings throughout the german... |
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Sandy Harbor Denmark Fishing boats on the sandy beach in the harbor of Vorupoer in Denmark, Europe. The fishermen at the Danish West Coast are still working with small boats, setting their nets with... |
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Fishing Boat Denmark Fishing boat with buoys at Vorupoer harbor in Denmark. In some tiny fishing towns along Denmarks west coast the fishermen still work with small boats,... |
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Fishing Boats Denmark A couple of Fishing boats on a sandy beach in Jutland, Denmark. The fishermen at the danish west coast are still working with small boats, setting their nets with... |
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Melrose Abbey Scotland Ruins of Melrose Abbey in Scotland, Europe. One of the most famous ruined abbeys in Scotland is Melrose Abbey south of Edinburgh. The... |
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Scotland North Coast The colourful North Coast of Scotland near Fraserburgh. On the Scottish North Coast near Fraserburgh this colorful scenery awaits the visitor. The rugged... |
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Fort Augustus Locks The main claim to fame at Fort Augustus in Scotland are the series of locks along the Caledonian Canal, Scotland, Europe. The 7 locks in Fort Augustus on the banks of the famous Loch Ness representing one end of the... |
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Cawdor Castle Scotland The Green Gardens of Cawdor Castle are well worth a visit while in Scotland, Europe. Cawdor castle is the second castle in Scotland claiming the place to be where Shakespeares Duncan... |
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Urquhart Castle Scotland Urquhart Castle on the banks of Loch Ness at night in Scotland, Europe. The ancient ruin of Urquhart Castle at the banks of the famous "monster infested" Loch Ness is a... |
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Cute Cows A group of cute but funny looking Scottish Highland Cows in the Dunvegan Castle gardens in Scotland, Europe. The funny looking Scottish highland cattle looking curiously while having their photograph taken in... |
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Celtic Cross Evening at the tip of the Waternish Peninsula with a celtic cross in the foreground in Scotland, Europe. The perfect day on the Isle of Skye can be ended perfectly by watching the sunset at the quiet and... |
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Manhattan New York The glistening lights of Manhattan at night seen from Brooklyn in New York, USA. One of the classic shots of New York. While not every place in New York is safe to go at night with... |
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Wonder Lake Alaska Midnight at Wonder Lake in Denali National Park of Alaska, USA. Although Mt.McKinley is notorious for being shrouded in clouds it usually comes out for some time... |
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Mt McKinley Alaska The snowcapped peak of Mt McKinley in Denali National Park, Alaska, USA. Although Mt.McKinley is notorious for beeing shrouded in clouds it usually comes out for some time... |
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Ptarmigan Summer Plumage A Ptarmigan bird with brown summer plumage The usually shy ptarmigan bird is covered with its summer feathers as we saw it near Savage River,... |
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St Bartholomae Germany An aerial view of St Bartholomae near Berchtesgaden, Bavaria, Germany, Europe. This air shot like photography was taken from a view point high above the famous Koenigssee - Kings... |
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Highland Calf Scotland Highland Cow calf One of the landmarks of scotland besides the whisky and the kilts are the furry highland cows.... |
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Nimpkish Lake Vancouver Island Nimpkish Lake is one of the best kept secrets on Northern Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. A barbecue on the banks of a canadian wilderness lake is a real unique experience for the average... |
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Half Moon As the night falls a half moon appears in the sky over Northern Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. While having a barbecue on the shores of Nimkish Lake on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, the... |
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Fall Leaves Vancouver Island A pool of semi still water and fall leaves at Marble River, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. Enroute to Port Alice, on the West Coast of Northern Vancouver Island, is the pristine Marble River... |
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Johnstone Strait BC Gentle pastels light the sky during sunset in Boat Bay in Johnstone Strait, Vancouver Island, BC, Canada. During a tour on the Blue Fjord, a converted justice ship and now serving as a recreational vessel,... |
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Boat Bay BC A calm morning in Boat Bay, BC as the fog slowly clears to reveal an anchored sailboat. After camping out on a boat in Boat bay off Johnstone strait we woke up to this quiet and calm... |
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Danish Sunset The rocky Danish coast of the North Sea in Denmark, Europe. This rocky part of the usually sandy beach on denmarks west coast gives a perfect foreground to... |
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Monument Scotland Calton Hill monument in the city of Edinburgh provides a great overview of Edinburgh in Scotland, Europe. The Dugald Stewart's Monument on Calton Hill above Princess Street is one of the best views over... |
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Edinburgh Scotland A view over the city of Edinburgh in the evening from Calton Hill, Scotland, Europe. From Calton Hill above Princess street one have the best overview over the whole city of Edinburgh,... |
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Culross Scotland Homes along the cobbled streets of the fishing community of Culross, Scotland, Europe. On the coast of the Scottish region Fife, just across from Edinburgh and not far from Stirling,... |
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