Adrian Mueller's Assistant Ellis Celebrating This Year's PDN 30 Award

The selectees of PDN’s “30 New and Emerging Photographers to Watch in 2010” were announced today — and I was overjoyed to learn that Adrian Mueller was on this list.

“Overjoyed” isn’t an exaggeration. Anyone who knows Adrian and his work is thrilled for the guy!

Originally from Switzerland, Adrian and I met about the time he first arrived here in New York about 10 years ago. Since then, I’ve seen him build up both his photography business (Fabrik Studios U.S.A.) and his technical skills as a commercial photographer, year after year.

Click Here To See Images From The PDN 30 Gallery

So, if that maxim of every “overnight success” taking at least a decade is true, then it has been a fortuitous coincidence for me that I’ve been able to watch someone actually achieve it from the start.

A Tale Of Two Cities

New York City has always attracted talented, creative people from all over the world and, selfishly, getting to meet some of them is part of why I love living here.

But New York City may also be the “self-promoting capital of the universe” 1 and a quiet, continuing dedication to your craft doesn’t always attract attention.

It isn’t flashy.

Neither is growing the trusted relationships central to any professional achievement — especially as a photographer in such a competitive market. But I think that it’s exactly that level of personal integrity and commitment to excellence that separates an artist from an artisan.

Let’s be frank: There aren’t many people out there who care as much about the quality of their work as the quality of their paycheck, so it’s all the more reason to celebrate loudly when one of these people breaks through to a larger audience.

More Good News

As impressive as it is, the PDN announcement is only the latest indication that all the hard work is paying off: These days, Adrian is working with some pretty big fish in the advertising ocean.  His images are at the center of ad campaigns by companies like HP, T-Mobile, Martha Stewart, Kraft, Chase, and Bodum — and he recently collaborated with famous raw food proponent and chef Matthew Kenney on his soon-to-be-released cookbook Everyday Raw Desserts.

Seriously — If you’re an Art Director and you have a chance to work with this guy, you should.2

Congratulations to Adrian, his wife Takako, and the whole Fabrik Studios team for this wonderful, well-deserved accolade.

1. Although I can see your point if you wanted to vote for Los Angeles… [↩]
2. If you don’t, you should hit yourself in the head with a ball-peen hammer until you see the error of your ways. [↩]