Kevin Lubera Photographer | Blog » Street

Sevana & Leo – Engagement Session

Kevin Lubera — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 04:43:31 +0000

When Sevana and Leo hired me to shoot their wedding, we never thought it was realistic to do an engagement session. Sevana lived in Los Angeles, and Leo lived in Dubai, so we never really discussed it as an option. Just a couple of weeks before their wedding in June, however, I learned that Leo was going to be in LA at least a week before the wedding. That was when Sevana asked me if I was available to shoot an engagement session. After all, we only met on one occasion, so it was a good opportunity for us to get better acquainted.

We decided to go to downtown Los Angeles and do some portraits around the area. I had them meet me at the Disney Concert Hall, and then we walked around for a bit. I must say I was a bit surprised at what they were willing to do, and I had a wonderful time. In just 60 minutes we were able to do quite a bit (this set represents less than half of my favorites), and by the end of the session we were all comfortable with each other. Of course, they did get a bit wet in the end, so I’m sure they were a lot more comfortable after a hot shower later that evening.

Sevana has since relocated to Dubai. Be on the lookout for some of their wedding images in a future post!

Michael Jackson Memorial – On the Streets

Kevin Lubera — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 09:22:34 +0000

I like to plan things because, well, if I don’t plan it then it will likely not happen. However, just as often as I carry out a planned action, I also do a lot of spontaneous things. Shooting in downtown Los Angeles during the Michael Jackson Memorial was such an instance, as it only occurred to me on the eve of the memorial as something to consider doing.

The plan was simple — get as close as possible to the Staples Center and see what was happening on the streets. I really had no idea what to expect, nor did I do much research on it. Heck, I was in bed just 90 minutes after I committed to doing it. The streets in the morning were unusually quiet, and I was convinced that a lot of people did what they could to stay off the roads, perhaps to avoid anticipated traffic and/or to stay home and watch the memorial service on TV.

For those who were wondering how crazy it was downtown, well, it wasn’t. It was almost disappointing, actually. While thousands were there, it wasn’t the tens of thousands I was kind of anticipating. In any case, I’m glad I went because I had been quite out of touch with the news this past week. I really should have been shooting the whole week instead.

As I expected, there were individual vendors of all sorts of memorabilia including buttons, CDs, shirts, hats, gloves, magnets and even watches with Michael Jackson photos printed on their faces. It’s amazing how quickly people put things together. Of course, there were the look-a-likes and impersonators — some good, some not so good. All in all, it was a pretty controlled crowd. LAPD officers were very polite and everyone seemed cooperative.

I had two hours in my parking meter, and that’s as long as I shot for. By the middle of the service, many street vendors were directed by LAPD to shut down and the town went quiet.

I’m posting these images as any pure photojournalist would (i.e., without any color tweaking or enhancements, retouching, etc.). Except for some cropping on a few images, these are straight out of the camera.

Downtown Los Angeles – Street Shoot

Kevin Lubera — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 08:56:24 +0000

It’s been a long time since I’ve gone out and shot for fun. I went to downtown Los Angeles recently and did some street shooting for a few hours. Even though I’ve been to most of these places before, it was a good exercise to keep creative. It was fun to interact with people on the street, although I do not recommend this type of shooting for everyone, especially if you have little or no experience in it.

Locations: Olvera Street, Pershing Square, Chinatown, Union Station, Grand Central Market