Sebastian Schueler, business and commercial photographer in Frankfurt

If you are wondering whether to come to me for a portrait, you probably have two questions. First: can he do it? Second: is he nice? My portfolio hopefully answers the first. This page is for the second.

How it all began

My story doesn't begin with a camera, but with paint buckets. I come from Thuringia, from a down-to-earth family of craftspeople with their own painting and decorating business. That is where I developed an early feel for colours, shapes and aesthetics. And something at least as important: how to treat customers, listen to them and find out what they really want. In fact, I was the one who was supposed to take over the business one day.

In 2007, my life was pretty well sorted: working during the week, parties, friends and outings at the weekend. Then I asked myself a question that still resonates today: what do I want to be proud of when I look back on my life at 80? The answer was certainly not “my weekends”. I wanted to create something of my own, something I am truly passionate about and can put all my energy into. That is how I came to photography.

If you are expecting a photography degree now, I have to disappoint you. Everything I know, I taught myself: with books, workshops and many sleepless nights full of trying things out, discarding them and starting again. To this day, photography for me means creating moments and stopping time for an instant.

Love, courage and a move to Frankfurt

For a long time I loved my comfort zone. Self-employment appealed to me, but to be honest, the big step scared me. Then I met Jenny. She was already living in Frankfurt, I was still in my village in Thuringia. Her message was charming but clear: “Either you come to Frankfurt, or this isn't going to work.”

There are worse reasons to move. So I jumped, right in at the deep end: to Frankfurt for love, and in 2019 into full self-employment with photo and video. They say behind every successful man stands an even more successful woman. In our case that is true, and I am saying it here officially: I owe my courage, my success and my self-employment in large part to Jenny.

People first, then the picture

For me, a portrait is first about you and your story; at the start, the picture comes second. I love getting into conversation with people, and that is exactly when the decisive thing happens: at some point you forget there is a camera. That is when the images are made that really look like you, authentic, honest and without a forced pose.

You don't like being in front of the camera? Welcome to the club. That is why a shoot with me starts with a really good coffee or tea and a relaxed chat. The craft runs in the background: medium-format cameras, precise studio lighting and hand-painted backdrops. Important, but never more important than you.

The nicest compliment I get is when clients say after the shoot that it felt like visiting a good friend. Or: “You really saw me as I am.” That is exactly why I do this.

“When in doubt, do it. We rarely regret what we did, but almost always, even years later, what we didn't dare to do.”

Shoots take place in my studio in Frankfurt-Bockenheim, which a client once compared to a French atelier: there is something to discover everywhere. I am just as happy to come to you, all over Germany and abroad, with complete equipment. My motto: there is no such thing as impossible. And if your team is international: I run shoots in German, English and French.

A day at the ECB

Some requests you never forget. One day, an editor from the French newspaper La Tribune got in touch: could I photograph Christine Lagarde, President of the European Central Bank, in Frankfurt? I could. I photographed her in the ECB Tower and in her office, and if you ask me what was special about that day, the honest answer is: everything.

The images were published in La Tribune, and the ECB approved them for my portfolio. You can find the whole series under Christine Lagarde, ECB (in German).

I am just as happy to photograph for companies such as Merck, CBRE, Savills, Puma, Giorgio Armani, the Bundesliga, ProSieben and SAT.1 or Rothschild. And just as happy for freelancers and applicants who need a professional portrait for the first time. Everyone gets the same time, the same attention and the same coffee from me.

The world from above

Alongside photography, I shoot brand films and interviews and capture drone and FPV footage. When flying FPV, I put on the goggles and forget everything around me. For me, it is not just another tool, but a way to see the world through different eyes and capture it exactly that way.

I fly the drones myself, and I have built some of them myself too: soldering, programming firmware, test flight. The racing heartbeat on the first take-off comes free. I show examples in the portfolio drone and FPV footage (in German).

Jenny, Steff and a calf called Kenzo

You already know Jenny from the story about the move. She is my wife, and together we work on creative projects and experiment a great deal along the way. When make-up is needed, I work with make-up artist Steff Wilkenloh.

And then there is Kenzo. Officially he is a seven-year-old Rhodesian Ridgeback, unofficially more of a calf. A client once called him our “feel-good calf”, which could hardly be more fitting. Kenzo greets every guest as if he had invited them personally, and then retreats comfortably. And if you are wary of dogs: no problem. Kenzo goes to his corner and doesn't hold it against anyone.

When the camera takes a break

Musically, I grew up with electro and the nu metal era, and today I am somewhere between Deftones, Queens of the Stone Age, hip-hop and the good old 80s. I play guitar, and at home there is often karaoke. We will keep quiet about the quality here.

I love a good barbecue, and because Jenny's roots are in Vietnam, Vietnamese cuisine has a firm place in our home. Add a good film, and the evening is made.

From my years in the family trade, I have kept the joy of making things myself: I build tables and other useful things, 3D print, and when I need distance, I am out in nature and in the woods. Family is very important to me. All of this shapes the way I see, and therefore my images.

How I can help you

My passion is business portraits. In addition, there are executive portraits for boards and leadership, job application photos (in German), business casual portraits (in German), corporate photography (in German) for entire teams, commercial and fashion (in German) as well as brand films, interviews and drone footage (in German). And everything in between: character portraits, personal portrait projects and images for your branding. I also pass on my knowledge in photo workshops and coaching for companies (in German), individually or as a team.