He plays with light and shadow for dramatic effect and most of his work is dealing with themes of isolation and loneliness in the city. Schaller avoids filling his frame with the main subject and instead often takes his pictures where humans are being swallowed by their surroundings.

Shooting in color and just have black and white in mind does not work well. Color requires a whole other skill set and may be confusing. Schaller discusses how editing should never be the entire process but to help finish the image and make the image look its best. You cannot force the image to look better in the frame by editing it. For Schaller, limiting helps himself when it comes to taking photos. Whether it is using a single focal length or selecting a specific location it cuts down randomness of chaos from a big city. His favorite cities to take pictures of are London, Havana, Istanbul, New York, and Kyoto. Shooting in cities there is always something going on, it can be overwhelming but there is always a subject or location that can be focused on and for Schaller he does it that way.

It does not work as well to shoot in color and just have black and white in mind. Color requires a whole other skill set and may be confusing. Schaller discusses how editing should never be the entire process but to help finish the image and make the image look its best. You cannot force the image to look better in the frame by editing it. For Schaller, limiting helps himself when it comes to taking photos. Whether it is using a single focal length or selecting a specific location it cuts down randomness of chaos from a big city.

Starting off his work with a camera he worked with a single body and a 50mm lens before adding others to the mix. After coming across Leica for the first time, he knew it was for him. Now, Schaller is a brand ambassador for Leica Cameras, working with Leica M Cameras, mostly the Monochrome Type 246 along with use of a variety of Leica M lenses. More about his lens, his go to are the 24mm Summilux and the 50mm Summilux Asph; most of his work has been done with those lenses. Schaller sets his camera to shoot in black and white. His preferred lens is a 24 millimeter which gives him more access to geometry and wider spaces. 

“One of the most exciting things about street photography is waking up every day and not knowing what you’re going to come back with…that’s the magic”

Alan Schaller