Kevin Lubera Photographer | Blog » Fashion

Kicking it with Lina – Santa Monica, CA

Kevin Lubera — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 17:30:53 +0000

There have been times where I’ve planned a shoot only to find out at the last minute that it wasn’t going to happen. And sometimes I get called at the last minute and show up with my camera with no plan at all. My last session with Lina was one of those latter instances.

Lina and I have worked with each other on a few occasions, and three years have passed since our last photo shoot. In recent months, we threw around the idea of shooting again, but we never really discussed any specific ideas. One day, we committed to actually doing something, and less than a week later I found myself in the car with Lina wandering aimlessly for the first five minutes. After learning what she had in mind, I tossed up the idea of going to the beach, and we immediately changed directions.

In just 70 minutes of shooting, we were able to produce a variety of images. I took the liberty of using one of them to create a mock-up of a book/DVD cover layout, since I think some of the images have potential for stock usage. Again, it’s a mock-up, so don’t expect to find it in case you have the urge to search for it.

I’m a bit torn between the first two images, although I do see them as being used for different purposes — hence the different treatments in tone and color. If you care to vote for a particular one over the other, I would love to hear your comments on which one you like and why.

Want to Trash Your Dress?

Kevin Lubera — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 18:00:29 +0000

So you’ve spent — or you’re going to spend — a lot of money on your wedding dress. What do you have planned for it after your wedding day? Do you store it? Perhaps you want to save it for your daughter’s (or granddaughter’s) wedding? Does anyone even do that anymore?

My close friend Sandi had a beautiful wedding at the Halekulani earlier this year, and during my last visit to Hawaii she brought up the topic of trashing her dress. For those of you who are not familiar with this concept, “trash the dress” is a post-wedding photo session in which the dress is likely to be more exposed to the elements than on a wedding day. Sandi made it clear to me, however, that she didn’t *really* want to ruin her dress; she just wanted to do something creative with it before she placed it in storage indefinitely. Needless to say, any ideas having to do with fire and/or being submerged in water was out of the question.

On the eve of our scheduled session, I came up with the idea of creating a story, vice just doing one creative shot. While it required a lot of driving and a lot of time, we agreed on the concept and committed to it right away. We started with her getting ready in Chinatown, where she would shop for her own bouquet and begin her journey in search for her love. Along her way, she would encounter mazes, trails and desolate landscapes, where her love is nowhere to be found. There’s really no definitive synopsis for this story; I’ll leave that up for the audience to interpret in their own way.

By the end of the day, Sandi had been in her wedding dress for nearly 9 hours — longer than on her own wedding day! If it wasn’t for her adventurous nature, this shoot wouldn’t have been nearly as successful.

For all the photographers out there … Every one of these images was captured completely in natural light (i.e., no flashes, strobes, reflectors or any other light modifying/shaping devices were used).

Congratulations and best wishes to Sandi and her new husband Taeho!

Now, what will you do with your dress?

Justine in Manoa

Kevin Lubera — Mon, 25 May 2009 00:10:20 +0000

As a wedding photographer, I always encounter extreme low-light situations, and I almost always capture using available light. In fashion photography, low-light situations are also not uncommon, but artificial lighting is usually employed to illuminate the subject(s) appropriately. Sometimes, however, as in this shoot with Justine, having the necessary resources can become quite a circumstance. As our original plans at another location fell through at the last minute, we set out to do something a little less ambitious. The conditions were challenging, though, as it was just the two of us hiking for miles in the rain forest in the late afternoon.

It may not seem evident in these images, but I really tested the limits of my camera on this shoot. The light was very low, which made it difficult to focus and even more difficult to create sharp images due to the long exposures. I actually used my tripod for the last shot, which was a 1/2 second exposure wide open at a high ISO. Of course, as usual I got bit by mosquitoes despite the two layers of bug spray. And dodging toads on the way back kept it exciting as we navigated in total darkness with my mini Maglite.

What I particularly like about this series is how Justine’s body language just “fits” in the environment in each and every shot. I’m curious if everyone else has the same observation.

Location: Oahu, HI

Dernier Cri

Kevin Lubera — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 07:13:25 +0000

Okay, so here’s something a little different. Several months ago, I was introduced to a blog published by Jessica Latimer, Managing Editor at Grace Ormonde Wedding Style Magazine. Well, I came across Jessica’s profile on one of my social networking sites this weekend, and I thought her blog would be a great resource for all the fashion-conscious out there. The blog is frequently updated, so if you like it I recommend subscribing.

And if you’re thinking this is only for women, then you’re sadly mistaken. Heck, I even learned that there’s a place for me to design my own shirt.

So what are you waiting for? Check out Dernier Cri today!