Interview With Adrian Schaub for Ferris wheel in the moonlight

BY Aaron Y. February 02, 2024

Adrian Schaub | New York Photography Awards

Adrian Schaub

Adrian Schaub is a lawyer with a hobby of photography. He learned much of his skills from Adam Ansel and Andreas Feininger's books and previously studied Henri Cartier-Bresson's work.

I am a trained lawyer and have always taken photographs as a hobby. In the last two years, I could spend significantly more time on it, partly because my son has grown up and moved into his family, and partly because I work part-time in my main occupation.

I have taken several courses here and there, but I have learned most of them from the books of Adam Ansel and Andreas Feininger as well as studying the pictures of Henri Cartier-Bresson.

I'm afraid not; that was quite a while ago ;-)

I love shooting with my 40-year-old Hasselblad CM 501 with a digital back. In daily photography, I use the X2D of the same brand.

Well, I take pictures first and foremost for my pleasure. I love it if others like my photos as well. So, if one day a gallery approaches me and wants to sell my pictures, then that would be very nice.

I'm always touched when I meet people I haven't seen in a long time and they start talking about a particular picture of mine that they've seen on social media and that's stuck in their mind.

Life.

Reduce to the max.

Such an award means a lot to me. I spent a lot of time, effort, and thought in creating the pictures on-site and also in the post-processing and I am happy if the outcome is appreciated.

I have a range of awards in which I participate every year, including the New York Photography Awards. So I'm sending you the best pictures I've taken since the last time. All the photos have been taken in the past 12 months.

I like to compare it to Parker points for wine: it doesn't make my pictures better. However such recognition increases the visibility of my pictures and I reach people, who would otherwise not have come across it.

Henri Cartier-Bresson, Andreas Feininger, and Fang Ho.

Just do it!

Clarify and document your attitude to Artificial Intelligence (AI). For example, I declare that I use AI to support my post-processing (e.g. creating masks in Lightroom). However, there is nothing on a picture that has not been negative (digital or analog).

For a creative photographer, there is no reason to be afraid of AI. It is a completely different kind of art. I like to draw a comparison to the invention of photography. This has not eliminated the art of painting, although it has reduced the demand for certain types of paintings (such as family portraits).

Trust in yourself – appreciate compliments, but don't let them guide you.

I get inspiration and ideas from looking at pictures in my Foto Club, magazines, or exhibitions.

Thank you for your interest in my work.