Alexi Lubomirski was born in England to a Peruvian mother and a Polish father. At the age of seven, he moved to Botswana with his mother and English stepfather. It was his stepfather who gave him his first camera at the age of 11. During his teenage years at school in Oxford, Lubomirski spent his free weekends doing odd jobs waitering, gardening and bartending to save up money for travel. His serious interest in photography developed whilst traveling in Peru during a gap year at college.
His interest later shifted from social commentary to narrative based, fashion photography during his studies at the University of Brighton, in the UK. It was shortly after finishing his studies that he was introduced to Mario Testino, with whom he assisted for the next 4 years whilst living between Paris and London. Towards the end of his time with Testino, Katie Grand approached Alexi to shoot for the FACE magazine, and later for Harpers Bazaar US.
Since then Lubomirski has become an established name within the fashion industry with an impressive client list, shooting for such publications as Harpers Bazaar US, Harpers Bazaar UK, German Vogue, Russian Vogue, Spanish Vogue, GQ USA, Chinese Vogue, Vogue Nippon, China Mens Vogue and Wonderland.
He has also become a firm favorite with celebrities, and has shot cover stars such as: Anne Hathaway, Charlize Theron, Gwyneth Paltrow, Natalie Portman, Emma Watson, Jennifer Aniston, Julia Roberts, Nicole Kidman, Cate Blanchett, Beyonce, Sarah Jessica Parker and Scarlett Johansson to name but a few. In 2008, Lubomirski had his first exhibition; TRANSIT, at MILK gallery in New York. A mixed media commentary on tv culture, comprised of pre conceived film stills.
He lives in New York with his wife and 2 sons.
Now interview with the incredible Alexi:
"Successful persons make the difference"
Alexi Lubomirski
"If you believe in yourself you can achieve it"
Thank you for accepting the interview Alexi is an honor, now tell us:
How would you describe yourself in 3 words?
Romantic, driven and calm.
At the seven years you moved to Botswana, how was the change for you?
looking back, Botswana was a surreal, magical chapter in my life. Moving back to UK was just another move…. i feel like i have always moved in my life.
Alexi in Botswana 1982
Your first camera, you the gift your dad at age 11, do you remember the first photo you took? No but i remember being fascinated by photos that my father took.. I used to look at them again and again and i loved the feeling that he got from them. I think that is where my interest began.
Then teen start working to save and travel, a trip to Peru, where your mother was born, awoke even more serious interest in photography What inspired you to Peru seriously interested in photography?
Peru was such a beautiful country and so were the faces of the people. As I was traveling on my own around the country, and had no travel companion to talk to, my photography became my companion, so it became the way that i would communicate my feelings as i traveled. I would hide in street corners and take pictures of passing people so that they could not see me and I would see what stories their face would tell.
During your studies at the university, as it were discovered, what you liked fashion photography, how it happened, was that moment when you say this is what I want to do?
I loved movies and always wanted my photos to have a "narrative" and feel like the movies. I started to evolve the projects that i was given at university into "film stills". I would find great locations and have the models running around pretending they were in a movie! My teacher told me that I had not followed the brief of the course, but that I would make a good fashion photographer!
Upon completion of your studies, you know Mario Testino, and you begin to assist for 4 years, how was that experience for you?
invaluable. He taught me how to get the best out of a subject, how to see beauty, and how to trust my gut and follow my instincts.
How do you feel when you have your camera in hand and you catch a picture?
It is my hobby. My hobby is my job. So i feel like every day is a joy.
In 2008 inauguration your first exposure "TRANSIT" How did you feel at that moment? , And Do you plan to do another exposition in the future?
I loved tv when i was a teenager! I was addicted. 6 hours a day at least until the early morning. There would be nothing on, but i would just flick through the channels and digest the imagery that came through the screen. That was the genesis of the idea for my TRANSIT project. I created still images that were taken from pre conceived tv shows or films in my head. When I would flick through the channels, sometimes you would see "the" image that was the center of that scene. Other times you would see only the last part of the scene as the camera pans away. That is what I loved about those random film stills. The viewer was left to interpret the image, scene and narrative themselves. We all have such a huge visual reference library in our head that we can see an image for a split second and immediately know what era, what emotion, what genre, whether we like it or not etc…. Its fascinating. When I did the show, we had 20 plasma screens in a row, flashing these images in random succession. As I walked in on the opening night, I saw people just sitting there, hypnotized by the imagery…. just as I had been, years before!
Yes I have more shows planned ;-)
Now you are one of the most recognized photographers in the world, you have worked with top fashion magazines around the world, What is the key to your success?
I just kept workingtowards it and knew that this was the job that i wanted to do, so i did everything possible to make it happen. My spare time was always spent researching, going to galleries, looking at art books and magazines, practising, doing test shoots, making contacts etc. I did all that I could do and then my guardian angels helped the rest of the way! When I started to do well, I realized how lucky i was to have this job, and therefore chose to work with people who felt the same way. Grateful and positive!
Alexi workHow does it feel to work for the most prestigious fashion magazines in the world?
I feel very blessed to work for such great magazines.
First cover of Alexi for a Magazine with Bianca Balti
Have a wonderful team, certainly an amazing mánager. I will always be grateful to this opportunity, what your team means to you?
My team is my family. Again, they are also people who appreciate how blessed we are to being doing this for a job. I want to help them succeed in the same way that i was helped.
Do you have a dream to fulfill?
I have 2 sons now, so my dream is to be a good father. I have also just published a book called NOTES for a YOUNG PRINCE that i wrote for my sons. and all proceeds go to charity, so another dream is that this book reaches as many people as possible to spread light as well as raising money and awareness for the charity.
You've traveled around the world, Do you have any place you like to meet? And Why?
I do not have a favorite place in the world as I like so many different places for different reasons.
You know I read about you in an interview you said you were working on a song reggaeton called Damelo, can hear the radio? you like reggaeton?
I wrote that one day when i was bored ! :-)
Now tell you some of the most wonderful experiences of your life and be the dad , mean your children for you?, and, how they have influenced your life?
It is humbling. It is inspiring. The love you feel for the child is all consuming. You realize that you want to be the best version of yourself for that child. The child represents innocence and therefore you want your actions to maintain their innocence for as long as possible. They are also here to teach us and everyday I see how I have to be a better person through them, whether it is about being more patient, more zen, more positive, etc etc.
What do you like to do with them?
My favorite thing, that gives me the most joy is to be on the floor with them jumping and falling over me. It is pure happiness.
What tips would you give to new daddy?
The thing i try to remember everyday is that when you are with your child, to BE with your child and not on the phone or computer…. in a few years time, they will not want to be playing with you anymore, so you should enjoy as much time as possible with them.
How do you manage to be, photographer, super dad and husband at the same time? Because I love each thing and am blessed to have each one. :-) Also I am an over achiever!
You wrote a book for your child in two whole days is called "notes for a young prince" that tell us about and do you have plans to write another book?
I wanted to do something momentous for my eldest son's first birthday. I wanted to give him a gift that would last forever, rather than another teddy bear or engraved cup. Being a father for the first time also made me understand my own father and his desire for me to understand my history and to be proud of it whilst carrying it for the next generation. I also wanted to adapt what my father had taught me and make it more about looking forward with hope and spirituality.
Some notes were lessons I picked up from family members, other notes were just from personal experiences.
If you were asked to write a book about your life what would you name would? …..
Alexi with his new and first photo book, DECADE by Damiani, is a collection of fashion and portrait work from 2003 - 2013. A rich and textured body of work containing striking studio photography, narrative fashion spreads in exotic locations and portraits of actors and celebrities such as Cate Blanchet, Victoria Beckham, Heidi Klum, Kirsten Dunst, Charlize Theron, Kate Winslet, Scarlett johanson, and Ewan McGregor in an array of settings. Lubomirski’s Decade marries these images in a way that allows greatly contrasting images to dance off one another using similarities in either narrative, form or subject matter, creating a visual story that offers more than just a catalogue of the individual imagery.
What advice would you give to photographers who dream of achieving be as big as you? Speak to as many people as possible in the business and learn from them, research, maintain your "voice", work hard, trust your instincts, trust your guardians,God, universe etc. As long as you are doing all that you can to reach your goals, then your guardians,God, universe will help you the rest of the way…
And to conclude, I thank you for giving me this opportunity and a bit of your time, you are an amazing man and a wonderful artist, and you continue success for you and many blessings to you and your family.
Thank you! :-)
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