Born in
Basel (Switzerland) in 1968, I started taking pictures in my youth with various
cameras of my father and grandfather, who were both enthusiastic amateur
photographers. Around 1997 I discovered my passion for black and white
photography and started to develop my pictures in my own darkroom. Today I take
photos mainly digitally. My favorite photographers are Andreas Feininger, Fan
Ho and Henri Cartier-Bresson.
In my
street photography people are interchangeable anonymous actors, hence you
typically don't recognize their faces. Animals are part of the city life and
their irregular activity contrasts with the regular form of streets and
buildings, whose leading lines ideally aim for a corner of the picture. In
general, I like regular shapes and structures of any kind. I also have a
weakness for the ephemeral. Above all, the motto is the children’s game "I
see something you don't see", and I try to capture the special in the
everyday.
My paradigm is "Reduce to the Max"
by adhering to
*
Simplicity: Topics, patterns and lines are clear and straightforward
* Black and
White: no distraction by colors
* Square
format: allows the most balanced image composition
*
Authenticity: there is nothing in my pictures that was not already on the
analogue or digital negative.
Initially I photographed with Canon and Pentax
cameras in 35mm format. In 2004 I switched to medium format and have been using
Hasselblad ever since, first analogue and from 2021 digital. My preference for
the Hasselblad system is based on the compatibility of the cameras and lenses
since 1957 until today.
I enjoy shooting with my fully mechanical CM
501 and the digital back CFV II 50C, which is a wonderful symbiosis of the
analogue and digital worlds. However for everyday use and travel, I usually prefer
the X2D for ergonomic and practical reasons.
Exhibitions
2023:
Animal Silhouettes
2022:
Mystic Forests
Basitalia
Awards
2023: one
“Platinum Winner” and one “Gold Winner” European Photography Awards, seven
"Gold Winners" London Photography Awards
2022: two
"Gold Winners" European Photography Awards 2022, one "Gold Winner"
Budapest International Foto Awards 2022, two "Silver Winners" New
York Photography Awards 2022, one Silver Medal Moscow International Foto Awards
2022 and one "Bronze Award" Prix de la Photographie de Paris 2022.
Media
In June
2023 the online magazine Muse posted an Interview about my photographic roots
and ambitions (Winner
Interview London Photography Awards)
In April 2023,
I was invited to create a page of the April issue of the independent cultural
magazine "Programmzeitung".
Website: www.adrianschaub.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adischaub/