Allen J. Schaben grew up on a small farm in Seward, Neb. His love for photography began while he was earning the photography merit badge on his path toward becoming an Eagle Scout.

While attending the University of Nebraska, Schaben enlisted as a journalist in the U.S. Army Reserve, and is a veteran of Operation Desert Storm. Schaben also worked as an intern at the Connecticut Post, Wichita Eagle, Detroit Free Press and Dallas Morning News.

He covered social issues in India for a semester for the Julia Dean & Associates documentary photo agency and was lucky enough to meet and photograph Mother Teresa and her Missionaries of Charity homes in 1993. Later that year, Schaben graduated from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln with a bachelor’s degree in journalism, worked a stint at the Detroit Free Press and was hired by the Los Angeles Times.

allen.schaben@latimes.com

Schaben’s work has been recognized by a variety of professional organizations, including the National Press Photographers Association, Pictures of the Year International,  Society of Professional Journalists and the William Randolph Hearst Foundation. His images have been exhibited in art galleries and published around the world in newspapers, websites and magazines including Life, Time, Newsweek, U.S. News & World Report and National Geographic.

His portfolio is diverse, but his passion for nature and surfing is apparent in his coverage for the newspaper. In his photos, he strives to combine meaning and story-telling with artistry, light, composition and vision.