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Robin Bini Schneider
@travellingrobin
Photographer based in Portugal
I got on my first flight when I was 8 months old. My mom is an avid traveler and I inherited this passion – and obsession – at a very young age. Her drive is to discover life in other countries and learn from foreign cultures, always looking for ways to connect with local populations in a respectful and non-invasive way. To me, this has always been very inspiring.
I grew up seeing my mom with a camera. I loved looking through the pages of National Geographic magazines, yet I also liked fashion and advertising photography. I was fascinated by Steve McCurry, Ed Kashi, Diane Arbus, and Martin Parr, yet also the likes of Nadav Kander, David LaChapelle, and Annie Leibovitz.
As soon as I had spare money, I bought a camera and experimented with it to discover what type of photography inspired me the most. I started capturing people at the beginning of my journey, in my late teens. Travel portraits and shots of daily life often felt invasive and as much as I admired photojournalists, I quickly realized it wasn’t quite for me. Through University, I also learned to stage hyper-realistic portraits and experimented with lighting, makeup, and photo retouching. It was fun, but not quite for me either.
Keeping your passion alive
Then I discovered landscape, and nature photography. Quiet places where I could blend in, observe, wait for the right moment, or speed up to catch the right light. I felt comfortable and relaxed. Traveling and photography go hand in hand; I try to capture a feeling that pervades a place in a moment, and my photos are a result of what a place transmits, rather than a specific style. When I get to a place, whether I planned it or I happen to be somewhere I feel the need to stop and grab the camera, I am there completely. I forget everything else, and that’s what makes photography worthwhile for me. My head is clear, and I am dedicated to that moment, in a pleasant meditative state.
My passion and the effort I put into photography are often impacted by my main job as a digital designer, day-to-day life, and unexpected life events – sometimes I dedicate a lot of time, and other moments the passion fades more into the background. Yet, whenever I do pack the camera and go somewhere before sunrise, I know I will be happy. I have put photography on hold at times when I felt the market was too saturated and photos were too ‘staged’ for me to be part of it. However, I soon remembered I take photos for myself and to share the places and emotions I capture with people I care about as well as those I know appreciate the simplicity and beauty of raw nature.
"This is enough to keep my passion alive, no matter the market or the outcome."
Difficulties mastered are opportunities won
A scenario that always reinvigorates my inspiration is venturing solo before sunrise up a mountain, a volcano, through fields or abandoned houses, and being there, waiting for the right light, feeling connected with that particular place, and enjoying the moment. I once stayed in a farmers’ house in rural Mongolia, while on a horse riding trek with a local guide who only spoke a few words of English. I planned to head up a hill I spotted when we arrived to shoot the valley at sunrise. At 3 am, I woke up and left the house with my gear, some firewood, a large metal pot, and a ladle I picked up along the way ‘for protection’. I arrived on site and made a little fire to warm up as it was still too dark and cold. When the light started warming up the valley, I took the photos I wanted – silence all around, a perfect, quiet morning away from everything. Satisfied I headed down towards the house, only to be cornered by the two large shepherd dogs guarding the farm. The ladle and pot came in handy to alert the family so that they could call the dogs and I could get back on the farm. A happy ending and I gave everyone an excuse for a good laugh. Adventures like this are what I love about photography. More than the result, it’s the stories behind an image and the emotions that transpire from it.
"In 2020, I temporarily lost my camera with a year worth of travel photos. I was devastated."
When I’d given up finding it, someone contacted me and returned it in perfect condition. I swore I would never leave without it again, and never skip taking a photo when I could. I shoot with a Fujifilm XT2, we have been through so much together, and even if I could upgrade, I am too emotionally attached to switch. There are too many stories we have lived and immortalized together!
I was a very shy photographer, and when I got my first Fujifilm (XT-1) which I could store in the pocket of my waterproof jacket and take anywhere without even a bag, I was over the moon. I owned both Canon and Nikon, which were amazing cameras, but the Fujifilm X-series are perfect for me. These days I shoot with a Fujifilm XF 16-55mm f/2.8 which makes the camera less portable, still, it’s small enough, sturdy, and weather resistant, and I love the physical dials and manual controls these cameras have maintained. The change of camera had a big impact on my development as a photographer.
What helped me on a more technical level was a course in photojournalism organized by Eyes in Progress and delivered by the photographer Patrick Zachmann. It was money well invested. Spending time with experienced photographers that love their work it’s invaluable, it provides technical direction and inspiration to fuel your practice. I follow and admire the work of many established and new photographers, there are many talented people out there, and I always find something to learn.
It is also travel or life experiences in itself other than gear or courses that have taught me a lot, or through which I learned more about photography. For a while, I lived in a very small seaside town in Tenerife, Canary Islands. An experiment that didn’t quite work with a previous partner and led to troublesome times in what could have been a little paradise. I started using photography as a practice to find balance and ventured every day into the local surroundings at dawn, before dawn, at night, or sunset to experiment with light and work on my composition. This time was very useful to improve my skills and understanding of what type of environment and emotions I like to capture, and how I could get better at it. It’s also helped me to understand the situation I was in and connect to myself to find solutions.
"The act of taking photos is a reflection in itself."
Choosing to go, getting to a place, looking for the right light, making mistakes or getting it right, and usually being alone in the process. When looking back at pictures, I can often feel where I was physically and emotionally, when I shot them. A picture brings back a past self and helps me move forward, and hopefully keep getting better as a photographer and as a person.
Traveling to me means never-ending learning, each place, person, and photo has taught me something. Being outside my “normal life”, having to change, question myself, and adapt to whatever happens helps me stay humble and grounded.
Patience is not the ability to wait, but the ability to keep a good attitude while waiting
One thing I am consciously working on in particular is patience. I used to be very impatient, and often I still am, but I am trying to change my attitude, learning to let go of things that are out of my control and accepting people, behaviors, and situations without getting stressed. Life doesn’t always need a goal, direction, or timeframe. Life can just happen, and we can enjoy its simplicity. This isn’t easy for me, but I would like to live like this one day.
On a recent trip to South Africa, I experienced a completely different approach towards life than mine – a more calm, relaxed, and accepting way of living no matter what the situation is. It inspired me and frustrated me at the same time – leaving my brain full of questions and wanting to dig deeper to understand society so different from my own. If we try to postpone judgment, learning and growth opportunity are endless. I am trying to follow these lessons.
She wanted to visit because of the country’s history. I agreed, convinced by her excitement. I planned a rough route around old monasteries and lost mountain passes, and saw we could hire a Lada Niva (one of my dream cars!).
Armenia, life lessons
Being in Armenia resulted to be the furthest I have ever felt from my everyday life. Unexpected encounters, events, and places made us feel as if we had traveled back in time and were living in a still, parallel reality. There were almost no tour buses and very few tourists. Just life happening undisturbed, and nobody seemed to care much about our presence. Armenia often looked uninhabited, yet a better look revealed life inside old homes, monasteries, and seemingly abandoned power stations.
I will never forget the feelings brought by traveling through the vast, apocalyptic sceneries of Armenia and the unique experiences we lived. One day, we had almost run out of petrol and I spotted what looked like an old Soviet fuel truck. We drove closer to discover an older guy who was indeed selling petrol from his truck, in the middle of nowhere. We crossed mountain passes and drove through thick fog to discover ancient Caravanserai, bought homemade smoked fish on the side of infinite stretches of road dotted with remains of old vehicles and explored ghostly locations from the Soviet era. A trip I will never forget.
Armenia resulted to be a perfect place for me – few tourists, no staged cultural activities, and lots of creative photography opportunities. When I travel, I prefer to be alone, or with as few people as possible, and connect with a place. For this reason, I often avoid the known and famous locations or the type of shots that are in trend at a particular moment and you see all over social media. Sometimes I feel travel and our world becomes a victim of marketing, trends and social media.
I like the idea of putting extra effort into reaching the place I want to photograph, and usually try to get as close as possible on foot. That’s part of what I like about photography; having to work to get to something makes it more special to me. For this reason, I don’t usually travel with long-range telephoto lenses.
Editing and learning
When editing, I want to enhance the natural beauty of an image while keeping it as close to reality as possible. I usually work in Lightroom and/or Photoshop, and try to avoid over-processing shots. I want photos to look natural while maintaining the strong feelings I lived when shooting them. Sometimes it’s necessary to push colors and definition a little to create a strong enough atmosphere when moving from reality to a screen or print.
I like to accompany my images on Instagram with captions that relate to a feeling or a particular adventure I associate with each picture. Sometimes I chose a diaristic approach, and other times a more descriptive style similar to a travel blog. What I write it’s usually a celebration of nature in its raw state, and reflections on people, places, and situations that have left a mark on my life. I regularly listen to Jack Kornfield, and I have found his approach and Buddhist philosophy invaluable in the toughest times of my life. I’d like to think I live a fairly sustainable life, but there is always room for improvement.
"I believe in learning through living and following what feels right, which may inspire others when shared. And in my case, photography is a way of learning, living, and sharing."
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