Rob Schumacher, a photographer for The Arizona Republic for more than 30 years, passed away unexpectedly on May 17. Schumacher covered a variety of topics throughout his career, ranging from breaking news and disaster stories to the Olympic Games, Super Bowls and Masters golf tournaments.
Michael Chow, a photographer, joined “Arizona Horizon” to remember Schumacher’s career.
“Rob Schumacher was probably one of the most incredible photographers this state or country has seen,” Chow said. “Just the way he approached things the way he work. Not only was he an extremely talented photographer, he was passionate.”
Over the years, Schumacher accumulated many awards, including awards from the Arizona Press Club, the Associated Press Sports Editors, the Arizona Newspapers Association and the Best of the West contests. He also took the Arizona Associated Press Managing Editor’s photo of the year in 2003 and was named Arizona Photojournalist of the Year by the Arizona Press Club in 2020.
One thing that set Rob apart from the rest was his motivation to always get better. Chow said that unlike other photojournalists, Schumacher would study his craft.
“If he was taking off for the masters, he would look at old photos and look at the hole,” Chow said. “What’s the background look like here, what’s light look like at this time of day, is this the hole where I shoot tight.”
Another aspect of Rob Schumacher’s excellent work was how he was able to anticipate shots, and prepare for events that have not happened. He was able to know where to be at the right time.
“He is able to capture beauty in disaster,” Chow said when looking at one of Rob’s iconic photos. “I mean that’s one of the prettiest shots that I have seen him take.”
