Michael Schnabel is a photographer whose creative ambitions are unusually demanding. His work is characterized by the complexity of its subject matter: a veritable world of motifs that he is capable of visualizing and realizing down to the last detail, not only in his landscape, automobile and architectural photographs. The right, ‘decisive’ moment is an essential feature of his work, because it is by means of meticulous preparation, a clear concept and extreme sensitivity that Schnabel literally ‘composes’ his visual worlds. Such painstaking compositions have brought the German photographer a great many national and international awards and prizes, such as AOP Gold, ADC Gold, the PDN Annual Award and the BFF Annual Award, to name but the most important.
Few photographers are as completely at home in the fields of both artistic and applied photography. What all of Schnabel’s work has in common is the way in which it comes into being: painstaking planning and preparation, total concentration, genuine commitment and an impressive sensitivity with respect to the components, time and light. The demands that he makes on himself and his work mean that his images transcend the circumstances that give rise to them. Thanks to his tight focus in preparing for the ‘decisive’ moment, the resulting photographs acquire a truly aesthetic and timeless quality. Michael Schnabel is always good for surprises while maintaining the most rigorous standards: his aim is to create images that are genuinely inspiring. ‘I am not a snapshot guy’, Schnabel has said of himself.
Michael Schnabel studied photography in Darmstadt. During a prolonged stay in San Francisco, he began combining his passions for landscape and photography: few share his ability to utilize his surroundings to convey his own very personal artistic message and vision. Whether it be deserts, soaring mountain ranges or megacities–the world around him becomes a dramatic stage. It is this ability that international clients such as Audi, BASF, Sony, Siemens, Random House, Marlboro and many agencies value so highly. He is also the member of many international juries, has lectured at several universities and has had group exhibitions and solo shows in Europe, China and the USA. Michael Schnabel lives and works in the South Germany.