Today we’d like to introduce you to Luke Stambouliah
Hi Luke, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I fell in love with photography at a young age. My father had a Super 8 camera when we were growing up and we’d have home movie nights and watch these beautiful, grainy, intimate vignettes of our homemade history. The magic of watching celluloid projected onto a screen and the power in sharing human stories is what inspired my career as a portrait photographer.
I loved art at school. I had the best art teachers. I was that cliche kid who’d spend lunchtime in the art room and became the school’s photographer. I guess I connected with the quiet solitude behind the lens and the project-based nature of art.
During high-school I was accepted into the National Art School, where I was able to delve deeper into my camera, darkroom and exhibition skills. This helped develop my first major body-of-work in my final year of school, which was nominated for ArtExpress at the Art Gallery of New South Wales.
Straight out of school, I was accepted into the University of New South Wales, College of Fine Arts (COFA), where I majored in Photomedia and graduated with Honours. It was here where I really met my tribe and my love for art history and practice was fully supported and my career as a professional photographer flourished.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
As artists, there are often struggles. We deal with everything from overpowering egos, fluctuating income, rejection, negative self-talk, constant competition, the list goes on.
However, what helps is focusing on the most important aspects of your life that help you get through the struggles. For me, it’s the support of family and friends, learning to celebrate your wins, becoming financially astute, trusting your instincts, fighting for equality, cultivating strong relationships and having a network of creatives to lean on, the list goes on.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’ve always loved portraiture so I knew I wanted to make that my professional focus.
I learned very early in my career that beyond your instinctive creative eye and technical skill of photography, it’s actually communication with your subject that makes a portrait successful. I don’t just mean verbal communication, I mean the environment you create and energy you bring to a portrait session; one’s capacity to read the room and to know when to talk and when to listen. That’s the key in my experience.
Specialising in portraits, I mostly work across the entertainment industry and closely with actors for headshots, film stills, key art, campaigns, editorial publications and contemporary fine art photographic exhibitions.
One of my proudest moments has been the rare opportunity to photograph the awe-inspiring Dr. Jane Goodall, DBE, Ph.D., UN Messenger of Peace, which became a winner of AAP magazine’s portrait award and was ranked #1 of the 25 most powerful portraits taken by photographers from all over the world as selected by Bored Panda magazine.
Recently, one of my portraits has been selected as a finalist in this year’s Head On Photo Festival, forming part of an amazing collection of portraits with submissions from over 27 countries. I’m really excited to share this work at the portrait awards during the festival launch later this year.
Have you learned any interesting or important lessons due to the Covid-19 Crisis?
The increase of U.S. projects filming in Australia in recent years has strengthened the relationship of Australians in Hollywood and the opportunities we share between countries. My clients often travel from around the world to have their portrait taken, with a large cohort of actors in Los Angeles.
Having close ties to Hollywood, my portraits range from A-list actors for publications, spec shoots for PR, headshots for representation and marketing collateral for film, tv and theatre productions.
Through my syndication agent, Head Press International Photo Agency, my work is available for editorial and advertising assignments and commissions with exclusive rights for publication worldwide, with offices in Sydney and London and affiliates in Asia, North America, South America, and Europe.
Pricing:
- Headshots from $550
- Editorial portraits from $1,100
- Film stills from $1,500 per day
- Key Art campaigns from $3,000
- Exhibition portraits from $5,000
Contact Info:
- Website: https://lukestambouliah.com
- Instagram: @lukestambouliah
Image Credits
Main image © Hugh Stewart.
All other images © Luke Stambouliah.
