This is the about.me of HABS photographer Stephen Schafer (AKA: Schaf). Schafer has dedicated his career to documenting our inherited environment. He specializes in archival, large-format, black-and-white documentation photography, adhering to the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Architectural and Engineering Documentation. His HABS/HAER/HALS photography work showcases everything from the soaring heights of historic skyscrapers to the depths of newly bored subway tunnels.

His work is contributed to the HABS, HAER, and HALS collections at the Library of Congress. This ensures the long-term preservation and accessibility of his work for researchers, historians, and future generations.

Schaf Photo’s client list reflects his long career, encompassing institutions, corporations, and cities as diverse as San Francisco, Los Angeles, Riverside, Alameda, Santa Monica, San Jose, and Berkeley, as well as the Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles. He has photographed for numerous educational entities, including the San Diego Unified, LA Unified, and Long Beach School Districts, Cornell University, UC San Francisco, UC Santa Cruz, Pepperdine University, and UCLA. His portfolio also includes work for organizations like Disneyland, the San Francisco Presidio Trust, the Getty Conservation Institute, the LA Conservancy, Caltrans, Caltrain, LA Metro Rail, SCE, PG&E, NASA, GSA, USGS, the National Park Service, the US Bureau of Reclamation, the Air Force, and the Navy, among others he is not at liberty to disclose.