Photography News | Issue 65 | photographynews.co.uk
Interview 28
Lukas Schulze Profile An award-winning, globe-trotting sports photographer, Lukas Schulze has achieved a lot in just four years of professional work. Photography News caught up with him to discover how he does it
Photography News: Can you introduce yourself to PN readers, please? What is your day job, and where are you based? Lucas Schulze: My name is Lukas Schulze, a 25-year-old sports photographer based in Düsseldorf, Germany. You can mostly find me walking around a football or sports stadium somewhere in Germany. PN: How many years have you been a sports photographer? LS: It was four years ago when I started an internship with the DPA (German Press Agency) who taught me the basics of how to be a news reporter. The internship lasted two years and I loved it. However, it was following an amazing trip to the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro when I made the decision to focus on sports photography, and I’ve never looked back. PN: What came first: photography or sport? LS: Growing up, I loved playing sports. I was most competitive at athletics and trained up to six times a week. Unfortunately I suffered an injury, which took more than two years to heal. During this recovery time I started
taking pictures at track and field competitions and soccer matches in my home town, selling my images to the local newspaper. The injury I suffered, although detrimental to my physical participation in sports, helped me realise that photography was what I wanted to do in life, so I started studying photojournalism at college. I completed numerous internships all over the world, most notably with The Tennessean newspaper in Nashville, US. It was having opportunities like this outside Germany that helped develop and improve my English. PN: What is your favourite sport and what is your favourite sport to shoot? Or are they the same? LS:HandballisincrediblypopularinGermany and always produces excellent images. It’s a non-stop sport, so is perfect for photographers like me who are always looking to capture that standout image right in the middle of the action. There are many different events and styles of movement in athletics, which means from a photography perspective there is always something interesting to capture. As a former
athlete, I knowhowthe sportsmenandwomen feel during moments of pain and euphoria. This certainly makes it easier to capture those ‘gold medal’ moments. PN: Are there any sports that you do not enjoy shooting? LS: There are some sports that aren’t always as entertaining or interesting from a photography perspective, but you can’t let that hold you back. I always try to find something interesting in every event I shoot. The athletes put so much effort and passion into the sports they love – it’s my job to simply capture the moments that matter. PN: What has been your best or most satisfying assignment so far? LS: I loved working at the FINA World Swimming Championships in Budapest in 2017 and the 2018 UEFA Champions League Final in Kiev. The 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia and 2018 Youth Olympic Games in Argentina were also fantastic assignments. The FIFA World Cup is without doubt the hardest assignment I have ever faced. I was travelling around Russia for five weeks and
From a photography perspective, there is always something interesting to capture
Above Lukas's award-winning image taken at the FINAWorld Swimming Championships
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