Arrived in South Africa in 1950 after having fled a war scarred Berlin and he became one of the rare Western photographers to
photograph the lives of black people. He recorded the start of the freedom movement, the subsequent repression, life and culture of the townships. He was soon to become the main photographer and artistic director of Drum Magazine, the legendary cultural magazine of the black community.

Schadeberg was to show in magnificent style how black culture came to the fore through dynamism and energy whereas the universe of the Afrikaners seemed to become more and more closed.

It was during these years that Jurgen Schadeberg took photographs that were to become essential to South Africa history. He came into contact with the great leaders of the anti-apartheid movement in particular Nelson Mandela who was to become the subject of his photographs for half a century (1952 to 2001).

Jurgen Schadeberg had an enormous influence on the development on photography in South Africa. During his time at Drum Magazine, he trained an entire generation of black photographers from Bob Gosani to Ernest Cole not to mention Peter Magubane. More recently in his role as mentor, he contributed to the development of the young talent of Santu  Mofokeng, Makgotso Gulube and Taryn Millar.

Some of his photographs such as the portrait of Miriam Makeba standing at the mike in 1955 belong to the national heritage. Others, such as certain images of Nelson Mandela became icons of the resistance movement.

Forced to leave South Africa in 1964, he went to London where in tandem with his photographic work, he taught and curated photographic exhibitions, notably for the Whitechapel Art gallery. He returned to South Africa in 1984 and continued to work as a photo-journalist, while making documentaries and features on the black community.

He is known as the father of South African photography and is today recognised as one of the major figures in the history of photography on the African continent along with David Goldblatt and Alf Khumalo.

His work which spans over 52 years and includes over 100,000 negatives has an undeniable historical, social and political dimension.