Anthony Schmidt may only be 14 years old, but his passion for cars has been long-standing. At just 3 years old, he was fascinated by miniature cars. By the age of 6, he began taking his first photos of cars using an iPhone. Self-taught, he has created astonishingly realistic images.
“I love taking photos of cars; I do it every day without getting bored,” said the teenager from Woodinville, Washington, USA.
After his mother shared a photo of a 1953 Chevy 3100 miniature pickup truck that Anthony had taken in a local Facebook group, he quickly became an internet sensation, setting up a personal calendar, publishing a book, and organizing exhibitions.
Now, he has nearly 550,000 followers on TikTok, where he posts videos showcasing how he creates magical photos of 2,600 miniature cars. A compilation video demonstrating his photography technique went viral in November 2021, garnering over 1.8 million views on TikTok.
With his current tool, an iPhone 13 Pro Max, most of the photos are created through the teenager’s rich imagination, with very little reliance on editing tools.
Few would guess that Anthony is an autistic boy. However, his mother, Ramona, does not dwell on that. She has a different perspective: “Autism has given him an extraordinary artistic eye. My son’s perception of images surpasses standard tests. Autistic individuals often think in pictures and are very detail-oriented. That is his advantage. Photography is great for Anthony’s development.”
“You have to be very aware of proportions, details, and perspectives,” shared the 8th grader.
Anthony’s talent has also caught the attention of Tim Cook, the CEO of Apple. He even highlighted Anthony’s skills on Twitter in April 2022: “Since he was 6, Anthony has shown a clear passion for photography. Now, he shares his life-sized model car photos taken with an iPhone with fans all over the world. The creativity of this boy is incredible!”
Alongside his photography passion, Anthony also has another interest: collecting classic cars. He wants to be like Jay Leno (the millionaire, comedian, and host of CNBC’s Jay Leno’s Garage – a famous series about Americans’ obsession with cars).
He is not old enough to drive yet, but last year’s calendar sales allowed him to earn enough money to purchase a 1959 Studebaker Silver Hawk (priced at over $23,000). Additionally, he owns a classic Ford gifted by a fan. Currently, whenever he needs to set up a photo shoot, his mother Ramona takes him out.
