Anthony Schmidt and his Studebaker.Photo: AnthonyRyanSchmidt.comAnthony Schmidt may be young, but his passion for toy cars goes way back.Anthony, now 14, tells PEOPLE that he was around 3 years old when started to fall in love with realistic, die-cast miniature cars. By 6, he started taking photos of the cars with his iPhone.He also taught himself the art of making the photos of the tiny cars, which are taken in front of a variety of different backgrounds, appear amazingly life-size.“I enjoy it, it’s something I do every day without fail,” says the teen from Woodinville, Washington.Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.Anthony Schmidt setting up a shot.AnthonyRyanSchmidt.comGood thing he does.After his mother posted one of Anthony’s photos of a miniature 1953 Chevy 3100 pick-up truck to a neighborhood Facebook group, it went viral. Now, he hasover a half-million followers on TikTok, where he regales viewers with daily videos of how he creates his magical forced-perspective photography of his 2,600 miniature cars.The teen takes his photos with an iPhone 13 Pro Max, using the wide-angle lens setting. He does minimal editing, relying on creative camera angles to help create the imaginative scenes.The life-size result.AnthonyRyanSchmidt.comHis impressive skills have earned him his owncalendar, abook,gallery shows, and even an actual vintage Ford car from 1957.Two years ago, Greg Wilkinson — a fan of his work whom Anthony, then 12, had never met — gifted him the classic automobile.“When we asked why he did it he just said, ‘I don’t know I just felt he should have it,’ " says Anthony.The teen’s mom, Ramona, credits Anthony’s autism for fostering his artistic gift. “It’sbecauseof his autism that he’s able to do this,” she says. “His visual perception is off the charts whenever it’s tested.““People with autism are visual thinkers and very detailed people. It’s an advantage for him,” she continues. “And the photography is such a good boost for his self-esteem.“Anthony with the car a fan gifted to him when he was 12.AnthonyRyanSchmidt.comNow, millions of people have seen his work.In November, for example, a TikTok video documenting how he created a variety of different photos went viral, getting over1.8 million views.Currently some of his photos are featuredin a show at the Kolva-Sullivan galleryin Spokane.“You have to be very aware of scale and details and perspective,” says the home-schooled 8th grader, who usually wears earphones to help with sound sensitivity.Apple CEO Tim Cook even gave Anthony’s skills a shout-out on Twitter earlier this month, markingAutism Acceptance Month.“From the age of six, Anthony has expressed his love for photography. He now shares his larger-than-life iPhone images of model cars with fans around the world and his creativity really shines through!” Cook wrote.Another passion he’s developed along the way? Growing his collection life-sized classic cars.Last year, Anthony’s calendar sales topped 5,000 at $20 each — costs are kept down with his grandma Betty pitching in with packaging and shipping — and earned him enough money to buy a 1959 Studebaker Silver Hawk.Since he’s still a year away from getting his learner’s permit, for now Ramona acts as chauffeur for Anthony’s photography shoots. Oftentimes, he spots a location and fits in the proper miniature cars to the scene.Anthony Schmidt at his gallery show in April.AnthonyRyanSchmidt.com"I have a thing where I go with it,” says Anthony, who plans to one day stage his shoots “all across the country.“As for drivable vehicles, Ramona says her son “has great plans to be a big collector, kind ofJay Leno.““He’s got a great start having two already at age 14, but I can see that we’re going to need to move,” she adds. “We’re going to need a bigger garage.”
Anthony Schmidt and his Studebaker.Photo: AnthonyRyanSchmidt.com
Anthony Schmidt may be young, but his passion for toy cars goes way back.Anthony, now 14, tells PEOPLE that he was around 3 years old when started to fall in love with realistic, die-cast miniature cars. By 6, he started taking photos of the cars with his iPhone.He also taught himself the art of making the photos of the tiny cars, which are taken in front of a variety of different backgrounds, appear amazingly life-size.“I enjoy it, it’s something I do every day without fail,” says the teen from Woodinville, Washington.Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.Anthony Schmidt setting up a shot.AnthonyRyanSchmidt.comGood thing he does.After his mother posted one of Anthony’s photos of a miniature 1953 Chevy 3100 pick-up truck to a neighborhood Facebook group, it went viral. Now, he hasover a half-million followers on TikTok, where he regales viewers with daily videos of how he creates his magical forced-perspective photography of his 2,600 miniature cars.The teen takes his photos with an iPhone 13 Pro Max, using the wide-angle lens setting. He does minimal editing, relying on creative camera angles to help create the imaginative scenes.The life-size result.AnthonyRyanSchmidt.comHis impressive skills have earned him his owncalendar, abook,gallery shows, and even an actual vintage Ford car from 1957.Two years ago, Greg Wilkinson — a fan of his work whom Anthony, then 12, had never met — gifted him the classic automobile.“When we asked why he did it he just said, ‘I don’t know I just felt he should have it,’ " says Anthony.The teen’s mom, Ramona, credits Anthony’s autism for fostering his artistic gift. “It’sbecauseof his autism that he’s able to do this,” she says. “His visual perception is off the charts whenever it’s tested.““People with autism are visual thinkers and very detailed people. It’s an advantage for him,” she continues. “And the photography is such a good boost for his self-esteem.“Anthony with the car a fan gifted to him when he was 12.AnthonyRyanSchmidt.comNow, millions of people have seen his work.In November, for example, a TikTok video documenting how he created a variety of different photos went viral, getting over1.8 million views.Currently some of his photos are featuredin a show at the Kolva-Sullivan galleryin Spokane.“You have to be very aware of scale and details and perspective,” says the home-schooled 8th grader, who usually wears earphones to help with sound sensitivity.Apple CEO Tim Cook even gave Anthony’s skills a shout-out on Twitter earlier this month, markingAutism Acceptance Month.“From the age of six, Anthony has expressed his love for photography. He now shares his larger-than-life iPhone images of model cars with fans around the world and his creativity really shines through!” Cook wrote.Another passion he’s developed along the way? Growing his collection life-sized classic cars.Last year, Anthony’s calendar sales topped 5,000 at $20 each — costs are kept down with his grandma Betty pitching in with packaging and shipping — and earned him enough money to buy a 1959 Studebaker Silver Hawk.Since he’s still a year away from getting his learner’s permit, for now Ramona acts as chauffeur for Anthony’s photography shoots. Oftentimes, he spots a location and fits in the proper miniature cars to the scene.Anthony Schmidt at his gallery show in April.AnthonyRyanSchmidt.com"I have a thing where I go with it,” says Anthony, who plans to one day stage his shoots “all across the country.“As for drivable vehicles, Ramona says her son “has great plans to be a big collector, kind ofJay Leno.““He’s got a great start having two already at age 14, but I can see that we’re going to need to move,” she adds. “We’re going to need a bigger garage.”
Anthony Schmidt may be young, but his passion for toy cars goes way back.
Anthony, now 14, tells PEOPLE that he was around 3 years old when started to fall in love with realistic, die-cast miniature cars. By 6, he started taking photos of the cars with his iPhone.
He also taught himself the art of making the photos of the tiny cars, which are taken in front of a variety of different backgrounds, appear amazingly life-size.
“I enjoy it, it’s something I do every day without fail,” says the teen from Woodinville, Washington.
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Anthony Schmidt setting up a shot.AnthonyRyanSchmidt.com
Good thing he does.
After his mother posted one of Anthony’s photos of a miniature 1953 Chevy 3100 pick-up truck to a neighborhood Facebook group, it went viral. Now, he hasover a half-million followers on TikTok, where he regales viewers with daily videos of how he creates his magical forced-perspective photography of his 2,600 miniature cars.
The teen takes his photos with an iPhone 13 Pro Max, using the wide-angle lens setting. He does minimal editing, relying on creative camera angles to help create the imaginative scenes.
The life-size result.AnthonyRyanSchmidt.com
His impressive skills have earned him his owncalendar, abook,gallery shows, and even an actual vintage Ford car from 1957.
Two years ago, Greg Wilkinson — a fan of his work whom Anthony, then 12, had never met — gifted him the classic automobile.
“When we asked why he did it he just said, ‘I don’t know I just felt he should have it,’ " says Anthony.
The teen’s mom, Ramona, credits Anthony’s autism for fostering his artistic gift. “It’sbecauseof his autism that he’s able to do this,” she says. “His visual perception is off the charts whenever it’s tested.”
“People with autism are visual thinkers and very detailed people. It’s an advantage for him,” she continues. “And the photography is such a good boost for his self-esteem.”
Anthony with the car a fan gifted to him when he was 12.AnthonyRyanSchmidt.com
Now, millions of people have seen his work.
In November, for example, a TikTok video documenting how he created a variety of different photos went viral, getting over1.8 million views.Currently some of his photos are featuredin a show at the Kolva-Sullivan galleryin Spokane.
“You have to be very aware of scale and details and perspective,” says the home-schooled 8th grader, who usually wears earphones to help with sound sensitivity.
Apple CEO Tim Cook even gave Anthony’s skills a shout-out on Twitter earlier this month, markingAutism Acceptance Month.
“From the age of six, Anthony has expressed his love for photography. He now shares his larger-than-life iPhone images of model cars with fans around the world and his creativity really shines through!” Cook wrote.
Another passion he’s developed along the way? Growing his collection life-sized classic cars.
Last year, Anthony’s calendar sales topped 5,000 at $20 each — costs are kept down with his grandma Betty pitching in with packaging and shipping — and earned him enough money to buy a 1959 Studebaker Silver Hawk.
Since he’s still a year away from getting his learner’s permit, for now Ramona acts as chauffeur for Anthony’s photography shoots. Oftentimes, he spots a location and fits in the proper miniature cars to the scene.
Anthony Schmidt at his gallery show in April.AnthonyRyanSchmidt.com
“I have a thing where I go with it,” says Anthony, who plans to one day stage his shoots “all across the country.”
As for drivable vehicles, Ramona says her son “has great plans to be a big collector, kind ofJay Leno.”
“He’s got a great start having two already at age 14, but I can see that we’re going to need to move,” she adds. “We’re going to need a bigger garage.”
source: people.com
