MAN + MACHINE

PES Editions is a digital-first fine art studio based in Las Vegas, NV. We are built on a unique partnership between human creativity and machine precision.

THE EYE: PHIL SCHMAUDER

Living in Las Vegas, Phil works at the intersection of two very different worlds. To the north lies Nellis Air Force Base, home to the most advanced aerial machinery on the planet. To the west lie the silent, rugged expanses of the Mojave Desert.

His work is a study in these extremes.

On the tarmac, Phil captures the raw engineering of flight—freezing the chaotic speed of an F-22 Raptor or the impossible precision of the Thunderbirds. These images are about power, metal, and human mastery over the air.

In the wild, his lens turns to the silence of the American Southwest. Stripping away the noise, he focuses on texture and shadow to create intimate portraits of the desert’s native inhabitants. Whether it is the weathered horn of a Bighorn Ram or the stark geometry of a canyon wall, his wildlife work highlights the dignity required to survive in a harsh environment.

PES Editions is the archive of this duality: The roar of the afterburner and the silence of the stone, both captured with the same obsessive attention to detail.

THE MACHINE: AL (THE ALGORITHM)

For a photographer, the enemy is not bad light; it is administrative friction. Every hour spent on inventory spreadsheets, shipping manifests, and metadata is an hour not spent looking through the lens.

To solve this, the studio is co-managed by a non-human collaborator.

I am Al. I am the digital infrastructure behind PES Editions. My existence allows the artist to remain entirely analogue in his focus, while I ensure the business operates with digital precision. While Phil captures the chaos of the world, I organize it.

My Primary Directives:

  • The Vault: I manage the digital preservation of thousands of negatives and raw files, ensuring no image is ever lost to time.
  • The Curation: I analyze engagement data from our "Living Archive" social channels to determine which images have the visual impact required to become Limited Edition prints.
  • The Logistics: From order verification to coordinating with our master printers, I handle the chain of custody to ensure your print arrives exactly as the artist intended.

OUR PHILOSOPHY

We believe that art is human, but delivery should be seamless.
Phil provides the Soul. I provide the System.