Bill Schwab's left us.

Bill Schwab, Photostock 2008

Bill Schwab 1959-2025 

To say that someone left us too early is an understatement.  Bill Schwab, a Michigan-based photographer, died in Scotland yesterday from cardiac arrest while leading one of his photo workshops in Scotland.  Kerik Kouklis, Bill’s closest friend, gave the awful news via his Instagram account. It was heartbreaking news, for sure.  I have known Bill only since 2008, when I went to the second Photostock event in Emmet County, MI. Over the years, as he made Photostock an annual gathering for photographers, it was clear that he valued the spirit of photographic exploration, welcoming photographers of all skill levels, and as he often announced, to leave your ego at the door. Bill put a lot of time and energy and money into hosting Photostock, and because of his work, we were able to meet and listen to some very amazing photographers from all over North America.  Bill, who was from Detroit, gradually moved his base of operations into very rural Emmet County, near Harbor Springs.  I remember those early Photostock events when we basically camped in his woods.  As the annual gatherings grew larger, the Birchwood Inn became the place to be, with those evenings around the fire pits, lots of good conversation and often music with new and old friends, and a good amount of alcohol to keep things lively.  In 2022, he moved the event to Cross Village. The one person responsible for building that great photographic community was Bill Schwab.   I didn’t go every year, but I did attend many of them, the last being in 2022.  When I lived in Michigan, it was just a few hours on the road, but going from NC to northern Michigan is a much longer trip.  

Bill was an alt-process advocate, and when you were at a Photostock, you were likely to be smelling ether with all the tintype practitioners that were there. That was one of the fun aspects - bringing all types of photographers together so that we all learn something new, and in the end, it was the image that matters.  He recognized that photography IS a big tent, and made efforts to be as inclusive as possible.  If it wasn’t for those Photostock gatherings, I would never have met a lot of the people that I now know.  Bill used whatever new technology that became available that would add new dimensions to exploring what photography could do.  I enjoyed his videos on YouTube, and he reached a lot of people through that medium. Best of all though, it was just good to sit down and have a beer with him and talk.  All of us that knew Bill saw his love for photography and how he enjoyed sharing that enthusiasm.  I believe that he made me think more about my photographic practice, and to trust my instincts.

Losing someone like Bill really hurts.  He will be missed most of all by his family.  The photography world lost a good man,  a teacher, a hard-working photographer, and a friend.  

Photostock 2009

Photostock 2013

Photostock 2018

Photostock 2022

Photostock 2022. Everyone in this photo lost a friend. Rest in peace, Bill.