October 2004

ARTICLE TOOLS

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By freelance photojournalist Greg Schneider's own admission, he was self-centered. "It's safe to say that before I came to Christ, my chief motivation for a picture was whether it was going to advance my career," he says. "That's the kind of photographer I was." Friends and strangers alike knew him as being arrogant, but he had a string of awards to back up his ego.

Working for the San Bernardino Sun in the late 1970s, Schneider was consistently the best newspaper photographer in California. But a dramatic conversion experience meant God was bent on changing his focus on self. The transformation began immediately. Schneider says, "The biggest change was the depth of my compassion for other people." His coworkers especially benefited from a friendlier Greg in the workplace. Before his conversion, he says, "I wouldn't give them the time of day."

Schneider now sees potential for Christian photographers to have a great impact on their colleagues in media institutions. "There are already enough Christians in Christian organizations. There are not enough Christians in news organizations."

Today, Schneider's clients include many A-list Christian organizations and publishers. He illustrated One Incredible Moment, a Christmas book by Max Lucado. Before working for himself, he was a staff photographer for Campus Crusade for Christ.

Despite a kinder, gentler attitude, or perhaps because of it, the awards kept coming in. He won California Newspaper Photographer of the Year and Regional Newspaper Photographer of the Year, both for a second time. Soon after becoming a Christian, he joined the staff of Campus Crusade for Christ, where he traveled to 80 or so countries for Worldwide Challenge magazine.

Schneider says, "Since I came to Christ, ...