Alan Schaller ENGLISH

London-based Alan Schaller, who specialises in black and white street photography, discussed how he has developed his niche in black and white photography and why it remains relevant even today.

“I was attracted to the idea of how much you can leave out in an image and what it does to people’s imagination and how I can engage them if I didn’t include everything,” said Schaller.  

“Photography is like having a time capsule,” said the 35-year-old photographer. 

“If a picture is not interesting today it might become interesting 50 years later.”

Schaller pointed out that monochrome photography requires a different mindset and approach is are not necessarily vintage or old school as is generally perceived. In his images of pigeons flying in New York City, a girl in a pensive mood in the London tube, or that of an elderly Vietnamese woman climbing down the steps, Schaller makes light a central character of his work, and pays attention to the details in the shadows.

In this keynote he will explain how he developed his style and why having one is more important that ever before, and what is up next for him following the release of his book ‘Metropolis’.