#MediaMonday – Rob Schumacher
Today’s #MediaMonday comes to us from Arizona Republic photojournalist Rob Schumacher, who was recently named Arizona Photojournalist of the Year by the Arizona Press Club. It’s not the first time Rob has been recognized for his outstanding work. In 2019 he added to his trophy case when he won first place in the Associated Press Sports Editors contest for a photo of Tiger Woods.
Rob, time to share:
My family moved from Southern California to Phoenix in the early ‘70’s. I got my first taste of journalism and photography working for the student newspaper and yearbook at Trevor Browne High School. I started just helping out, but there was a really good photographer there that gave me the opportunity to see what great work looked like.
I went to Phoenix College and then began freelancing for the Associated Press and United Press International before accepting an internship at the L.A. Times. I was then hired by the Arizona Republic, where I’ve been for the last 31 years.
I think the chance to travel the world has been a favorite part of my job. I’ve covered 10 Olympics, each one with its own unique story. My favorite was being in Athens, where the first Olympics were held. I covered the shot-put competition in Olympia and stood in the ring where the original Olympics were held. It doesn’t get much better than that.
I’ve been to six Super Bowls, one World Series and been to The Masters seven times.
My favorite thing to shoot is golf because of the access. Very little has changed in golf as far as photography goes. We are out in a beautiful place, like Augusta National, which is the star – not the players. They just pass through these amazing holes. We get to see them under all conditions from being under stress to celebrating victory.
Sports is just a part of what I do. I cover elections, breaking news, food, portraits…sports is just a part of it. We have to be able to switch gears quickly to go from news to sports to nature to portraits. We’re like the flies on the wall. We get our shots, come and go and do what we do in a quiet way.
With that said, my favorite photos are:
- Tiger Woods winning The Masters in 2019.
- A photo illustration of Steve Nash in his last year with the Suns. It was 64 images of him scoring, shooting, etc.
- Annika Sorenstam shooting a 59 at the Standard Register Ping at Moon Valley Country Club in 2001.
- A ski jumper passing in front of sun at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Korea.
- Michael Phelps, from his first Olympics in Sydney in 2000 when he didn’t win anything to him retiring in London and again in Rio de Jenaro, to his appearance at ASU’s Curtain of Distraction in 2016.
One thing that has made our job more difficult is that we don’t have nearly the access or opportunity that we had even five years ago. 9/11 changed a lot of that as organizations clamped down on who was actually a photographer versus who was a security risk. Social media has also changed things, as sports teams and other organizations have their own internal content teams. Then the pandemic cut our access even more.
When I’m not working, I like to play golf. I love working in the yard and I grow sunflowers year-round. I also enjoy spending time with my two daughters who are in their 20s.
My favorite restaurants are Mr. B’s Bistro in New Orleans, famous for its Creole cuisine, and Carolina’s, legendary in Phoenix for its Mexican food.
I don’t listen to a lot of music, but I’d say my favorite band is Muse, an English rock band that I got to photograph during closing ceremonies at the London Olympics.
Ernest Yahin (OAR) jumps in the nordic combined individual gundersen large hill 10km training session during the Pyeongchang 2018 Olympic Winter Games at Alpensia Ski Jumping Centre. Mandatory Credit: Rob Schumacher-USA TODAY Sports
Michael Phelps, the most decorated Olympian of all time makes a guest appearance in the “Curtain of Distraction” during the Arizona State game during PAC-12 action on Jan. 28, 2016 in Tempe, Ariz. The “Curtain of Distraction” is Arizona State students attempt distract free throws attempts by Oregon State. (Rob Schumacher/The Arizona Republic)
EMBARGOED Do not use without permission from Todd Kelly — 2012 Steve Nash Photo Illustration — Phoenix Suns 2-time MVP and All-Star point guard Steve Nash (cq) shown 54 (cq) times in various positions on the court at US Airways Center in Phoenix, AZ. Photo facts: 6838 photographs were made during four games; 2/09/12- Houston Rockets, 2/15/12-Atlanta Hawks, 2/19/12- Los Angeles Lakers and 3/01/12- Minnesota Timberwolves. From those 6838 images, 78 photographs were selected to create this photo illustration. Nash takes aim on the basket 9 times, talks to head coach Alvin Gentry, the Gorilla high-fives a young fan, a mother holds-up her daughter wearing a pink Nash jersey. Nash goes in-and-out of the game, he takes a charge, shoots a free throw, no-look passes, calling plays, licking his finger tips, etc. The only person to appear more than once in the photograph is teammate Grant Hill. Grant sits with Nash on the bench and assists Nash on a fast break lay-up against the Lakers. Photo Illustration by Rob Schumacher/Arizona Republic (EDITS NOTE: “Photo Illustration” much appear in the credit)
03/16/2001 -Annika Sorenstam of Stockholm, Sweden, poses with a golf ball with “59” on it after she became the first women in LPGA history to shoot a 59, 13-under par during second round action at Moon Valley Country Club during the Standard Register Ping. Arizona Republic photo by Rob Schumacher
