Photographer's Profile

Adrian Schaub

Switzerland

Being born during the student unrest in May 1968 fits in well with my later individualistic attitude. The early death of my mother reinforced my need for emotional independence and shaped my positive attitude towards being alone. My teenage years during the 1980s youth riots and my law studies increased my interest in fundamental values and how they change. My decades of work as a lawyer shaped my positive attitude towards ambiguity and the legitimate co-existence of alternative points of view. My pictures share the authentic pursue for simplicity with the Swiss style in graphic design. They combine the calm of geometry with the dynamic of asymmetry. The focus on the essential is supported by the use of White Space and bold contrasts. My core topic is "solitude", which is about the two facets of being alone, i.e. self-chosen independence on the one hand and unwanted loneliness on the other hand. In my pictures it is often in the eye of the beholder whether a photo is perceived as an expression of independence or loneliness. In my street photography the irregular shapes of living creatures’ contrast with the regular forms of the environment. People are interchangeable anonymous actors and animals are part of the city life. The technical leitmotif is "Reduce to the Max": square, black and white, simple and authentic. There is nothing in the pictures that was not already on the analogue or digital negative