Interview with Alexander Schönberg

Can you tell us a bit about yourself?

I am Alex Schönberg, 45 years old and living in Hamburg, Germany. In my works, I try to capture the everyday scenes of a city, which also shape them under the typical weather conditions that prevail there. My works are difficult to assign a particular direction to, it is most a mixture of architecture, street, fine-art and people.

How did you first get into street photography? Was it love at first click?

That was at the beginning of October 2015, when I had already been producing music and writing lyrics for 15 years, when a doctor unexpectedly recommended that I ‘just go for more walks’.

I immediately realised that I was getting bored of just walking around... I didn't think twice, went into a shop and bought a camera straight away. And so began my journey into the world of photography.In the beginning, I photographed all kinds of things. Street photography was also part of it. But I realised that street photography challenges me the most and offers a lot of creative possibilities. Street photography is a much bigger ocean of possibilities for me than landscape photography, for example.

What’s the wildest or most unexpected thing you’ve captured on the street?

It was a foggy morning in Hamburg, sporadically the sun came through the clouds, the atmosphere was incredible! I was near the Elbphilharmonie and on the bench I noticed a man holding an analogue medium format camera in his hands, we got talking.... Every now and then I looked in the direction of the Elbphilharmonie and saw a naked woman in one of the hundreds of windows, posing or doing some kind of gymnastics. I was stunned at first and thought she was posing for me and started taking photos of her. Then the man came up to me again and said to me: ‘How could you see her, you have an incredible eye, because it's so far away...?’ I said to him: ‘I'm a street photographer, I see things like that...’

I think the most interesting aspect of street is that the most beautiful and coolest photos come unexpectedly, you should just get out and take pictures, just be there

How do you decide where to go and shoot? Is it planned or more spur-of-the-moment?

When I visit another city, I try to photograph a kind of reportage and visit the important places and squares that make up the city.

But most of my photos are taken because I see the situation at that moment.

I really like to feel and experience a new city without

What’s your go-to gear setup when you hit the streets?

in 90% sony A9II with sony 24-70mm f2.8 GM and for the night sony 35mm f1.4 and 135mm f1.8. Sometimes analog with minolta xd7 and 50mm 1.4

Do you prefer shooting in the chaos of a busy street or in quieter, more intimate spaces?

I always try to be as variable as possible, but I feel a little more comfortable in chaos))

How do you approach people on the street if you want to include them in your shots?

I also like the photos with the people from behind more than the frontal ones, they look more mystical, more faceless...

Are there any tricks you use to stay unnoticed when shooting?

In most cases, I first look for or see an interesting place/background, then I check the surroundings and the lighting situation and ask myself what would have to happen here (e.g. where would a person have to walk past here...) so that it all makes a good photo? It's often the case that people see you and don't want to disturb you while you're taking a photo, so they stand still... For an outsider, I usually behave as if I'm simply waiting for someone at this spot and happen to be holding my camera in my hand or pretend that I'm simply photographing a certain detail on the wall, i.e. as if it's not about ‘the passers-by’ at all...

What’s the most challenging thing about street photography for you?

Street is a labour of patience! You have to try to keep an overview of a lot of things:

Choose the right background

wait for the right moment

keep moving yourself, things often develop very dynamically...

Often it has a lot to do with anticipating what might happen...

Thinking in advance about whether it's worth taking a photo of this person or not.

How do you decide whether a photo is better in black and white or colour?

If the colours in the photo distract from the main message or are rather distracting, then black and white is better.

But there are actually no specific rules as to when black and white is better.

For me, the more graphic the image is, the more likely it is to be converted to black and white.

How do you know when you’ve nailed the shot? Is it instinct or something else?

It happens all the time that I take photos that I haven't planned, you can't really plan much in the street.

You should always be awake, see, anticipate, look for interesting spots, find unusual light situations, weigh things up and be in the right place at the right moment!

I often instinctively realise that this is the shot, but there are often photos that only open up to our eyes at second glance.

...And some have to mature on the hard disc for a few years before they are ready :)