Meet Luccia Lowenthal | Photographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Luccia Lowenthal and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Luccia, we’d love for you to start things off by telling us something about your industry that we and others not in the industry might be unaware of?
I would say – it’s the before and after. What many people don’t realize from the outside looking in, is that in order to capture that one perfect image that the client wants, there is a lot of preparation that happens before you even pick up the camera, and after you put the camera down. The before, for me, is a process of conceptualizing the mood or the feeling I want to convey based on what my client wants; or, if it’s a passion project, the image I want to produce. With a client, I meet with them, we talk, and I do my best to get a feel for what they want; after that is when my creative mind can take over. The process isn’t only intuitive, although that is the most fun part, where I can let my mind wander, but, there is a lot of research that goes into it as well. Selecting the right clothing, the location, props, even picking music to play during the shoot, all create a mood which helps tell that perfect story. The post production is equally important and is equally driven by the work I do in pre-production which serves as the back bone. The most important element of post production work, is realizing that it can be very labor intensive. Editing is so important, and if you are a perfectionist like me, you can easily get caught up in it. But when it’s done, and done right, it illuminates the perfect image.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I first began my career in the world of fashion. I loved it at first, but over time, I learned that most of my creative energy was in getting to know the models I was photographing. It became about the people. Over the course of my career, I have found I am most challenged when capturing people at significant moments in their lives. I love people. I’m drawn to them – their energy and their expressions. But, I have also learned that photographing people can be a very emotional experience. You have to be very confident in your vision and skills because not everyone is going to love what you do and you need to develop a thick skin. I remember in art school, there was a class in critique and criticism where our work was evaluated by peers. Sometimes their opinion could be pretty harsh; but, I learned to accept criticism with humility and yet be confident in myself. I think that is what lets you be your most authentic self.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I live in Miami, a dynamic, vibrant and ethnically diverse community. It is simultaneously a large, cosmopolitan city with a decidedly international flavor. Yet, it is made up of more than a dozen individual communities each with its own cultural character. If I had to pick one way to design a tour of my hometown, it would be designed around food. Breakfast some days could be Cuban coffee and croquettes in Little Havana, or bagels and lox on the Beach. You can sample a typical Venezuelan lunch in Doral or drive down to the Keys for fresh fish. Dinners in some of finest restaurants in the Brickell area, with art and desserts in the artist enclave of Wynwood, will keep you busy all week. It is not only a satisfying way to spend the week, but they are all unique visual experiences as well.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Well, as you always hear in award shows, I first want to thank my parents for their love and support of my career. Let’s face it, this is a field that requires a lot of passion but can be uncertain professionally in the beginning. In order to succeed you take many risks and having people in your corner that believe in you, well, you can’t put a measure on that. Creatively, I would have to give credit to my mentor and friend, Michael Vaughn Hernandez. He and I met in 2012 through mutual friends when I was just starting out in art school. At the time he was an established director/producer working in film and T.V. When we met, we immediately clicked. We speak the same creative language in many ways, and throughout the years, he has pushed me to be innovative and unique as an artist, He has helped me develop discipline in my craft and taught me to harness that creativity in order to be the most effective photographer I can be.

Website: www.lucciaphotos.com
Instagram: @lucciaphotos
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/luccia-lowenthal-0193b2b6
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lucciaphotos/?view_public_for=1465352393676665

Image Credits
Luccia Lowenthla