Rugburn?
Not a photography business.
A place to share the interesting things.
Rugburn Media is the visual notebook of Brian Schwanebeck: photographs, films, writing, quotes and stories from places and moments worth stopping for.
Origin
Curiosity leaves a mark.
The name traces back to an actual rugburn suffered in 2010. Over time it became a useful reminder: the things worth doing, seeing, making and remembering usually leave some kind of mark.
Sometimes those marks are funny. Sometimes they hurt. Sometimes they become the story.
Point of View
Who is behind Rugburn Media?
Creator
Brian Schwanebeck, based in Lincoln, Nebraska.
Focus
Street photography, travel photography, documentary observation and visual storytelling.
Point of View
Look for the details most people walk past, then preserve the moment before it disappears.
Influences
People who shaped the way I see the world…
Warren Schwanebeck in Alaska, camera in hand.
Warren Schwanebeck
My dad has been taking pictures with his 35mm camera since I was a little kid, filling trays of slides with memories. Long before digital cameras and phones, he was documenting life one roll of film at a time.
Yet another way my dad influenced me. I often tell him, “I think I got the best one.”
Anthony Bourdain artwork by Tom Sullivan. Visit Tom Sullivan Fine Art.
Anthony Bourdain
Bourdain helped make the world feel a lot more accessible, if not safer, to me. He opened my eyes to just how sheltered we are as Americans. His show and his passion for understanding other cultures really accelerated my desire to live out my life collecting more experiences than things. Rugburn is where I can share these experiences for those who are interested.
“Life — and travel — leaves marks on you.”
Quoted from Anthony Bourdain, The Nasty Bits.
Alex Harsley
As Alex Harsley once advised me, when you see the shot you want and the moment in time you want to capture, take it right then. You cannot ask for permission or the moment will be gone.
Sometimes you ask for forgiveness. Sometimes you put yourself in harm's way. But when you get the shot, you rarely regret it.
Operating instruction
Do no harm. Take no shit.
A useful field rule for travel, work, life and occasionally taking pictures in the Lower East Side.
Quick Answers
About Rugburn Media
What does Rugburn Media publish?
Photographs first, then films, writing, quotes, field notes and print requests as the archive grows.
Where is Rugburn Media based?
Lincoln, Nebraska, United States.
What kind of photography is this?
Documentary-style street and travel photography focused on observed moments, location details and visual story fragments.