Idea Bounty and Mingo Lamberti Creative Showcase Winner Interview - with Dylan Laubscher

Announcing a winner is always fun - even though we get to do it often here at Idea Bounty. We are particularly pleased to announce the winner of our first Creative Showcase which we have been running in conjunction with Mingo Lamberti. If you want more info on the showcase check out this post. But now, without further ado, the winner of the first Creative Showcase and walking away with a rare and tasty Mingo Lamberti t-shirt, is Dylan Laubscher! Dylans photography is definitely worthy of the win, you just have to scroll down to find that out. Read on for an interview with the man behind the lens.

1. Firstly congratulations on your win! We noticed that you refer to yourself as a photographic and aesthetic consultant and seem to focus on cars and weddings. Quite and unusual mix, any reason why?

Thanks! Hmmmm...very unusual mix, I love Cars and I love love!

Love is the most important thing we have. To see everyone at a wedding, happy, super stoked for their loved ones and all in unity for a day is great. I want to add a bit of spice to the wedding scene though; change the photo dynamic. It’s a bit clichéd, but everyone says the photos are what lasts of your day and they are right. Memories are stoked more through visual aid than any other sense. To get the people where they were on their wedding day even 20 years down the line, looking their best, is a privilege.

The cars... well there is nothing better than a V8. My dream car is a 1956 step side, big window Chevy bakkie. I have the same passion most of the owners have for their cars. I shoot collectors cars. Their collections can contain over 5 cars, sometimes even other speed machines like aircrafts. Most of the pics you would have seen are part of a series I am doing called "Dark Park" but with a lot of the pics I take I sign a contract with the car owners who have commissioned me. Unfortunately a lot of that work I am unable to share with the public.

2. Your wedding photos are very original - can you tell us a bit more about the complete package you offer?

Thanks again, well I try to capture the day as it happens. I meet with the bride and groom at their home, so as to get a better feel for their personalities. I give them a questionnaire, they can ask for anything they wish in terms of shots. For the day they own me and for the time up to the wedding I am available day and night to answer any questions or supply any advice as to what I think they should be doing visually - as for trends, I don’t think people should be going with any particular trend unless it fits with their personality.

So the package includes these elements:

• Full aesthetic consultation running up to the wedding
• Full day photography with assistant
• A hand made leather bound album averaging 120 pages, including different types of production techniques (relevant to the couple)
• 2 clone albums for the parents - paper back or hard cover 70 pgs
• A2 Canvas
• Slideshow DVD with 5 copies
• Make-up for the bride if Wedding is local and
• A King & Queen of the day Spa treatment with an associate Beauty salon0 (again, if the wedding is local)

3. Most of your work is done on a commission basis at the moment - any plans to take your work into galleries?

At the moment I have no plans but would love to exhibit some of my work in the future.

4. You used to work in the advertising industry - why the move to professional photography? What attracted you to photography as a medium?

I think in headlines, I love advertising but my brain and eyes only wants headlines.  Let me explain - my wife for example wants to know every little dirty detail about a certain event in words. Like my little girls day at school. I would prefer to capture all that in a photo rather than a detailed page of explanation or words, so it was only natural for me to change to a medium that would allow me to express myself my way.

5. How do you make sure wedding stuff is not cheesy when some brides want a catalogue photo?

Every single wedding I have ever done has at least one gorgonzola pic, stinky, very stinky - you just can’t avoid them. Overall I just try and allow the couples to be themselves in front of the camera and then interpret what that is myself. It’s all about the eye as well. I think one of the cheesiest pics is jumping, however jumping can be made killer if you do it right.

6. Who is your favorite photographer and where do you get your inspiration from, especially in terms of style?

I really want to create my own style, but in saying that, my inspiration would have to be Annie Leibovitz. I would like to think we are on the same wave length. She also tries to get the most honest shot she can out of her subject and I would love to get some of my clients to try get out of their comfort zones like she does. I once heard a quote – “safe is risky”. I would love to do a book on that subject matter.

7. Do you know exactly what you'll want to do with an image in post production when you take it or does it sometimes come out completely differently?

Both, it depends on what I am going for. I have had photos that I thought would be a straight shot, but play a bit with the colours and you can get something superlative. I am colour blind (I prefer the term colour differentationally challenged)  ... shock horror! ... so it also adds to the mix!

8. So you have done cars and weddings, is there any other subject matter that you plan to do a series on in the future?

There is quite a bit I am currently busy with some Editorial Portraits, much like Annie Leibovitz work, where I have attempted to take an attribute of the subject’s personality and make it visually complimenting to the composition. My beautiful wife is a ballet teacher so I would dig to do some documentitive stuff with that subject matter. I have also done some abstract light painting I call ‘Digital jack50n p0110ck.’

9. You were a semi-finalist in the 2008 Hasselblad Masters Competition (the most prestigious awards in the photo industry) what was winning this like, and what has it done for your career?

It was flipping delicious, but only the pros are aware of the prestige - most of my mates don’t even know what a Hasselblad is! But for the awards side of my portfolio it’s like a nice piece of banoffie pie.

10. How much time do you spend on post production in comparison to planning and taking the shots?

The planning is the most important so I do spend excessive amounts of time on this. It’s like cooking, preparation is the most important. I can also spend up to 3 hours a photo in post depending on what I would like to do. It sometime takes times especially if it involves design work over and above the grading and retouching on a photo.

11. You have spoken before about how you try to photograph your subjects in an ‘honest and natural’ way - what does this mean since you do quite a bit of post production work? Is it more about photographing the subject without setting up or contriving the shot too much?

Some of my subjects have not enjoyed smiling, because they don’t feel photogenic. So I tell them I would rather them not smile, and when we do the pics after the ceremony or before the reception I try not get involved with the couple until I need to. This way I can get some shots of them really enjoying their first bit of time being married. It also allows the subjects to feel natural and honest. I believe what ever a person feels is what the photo will portray.

12. Have you ever taken any great photos with a cell phone camera?

It’s actually quite surprising how cool the effects you get from a cell phone are especially if you are using a Sony Ericcsonn, that’s not a paid for endorsement either. Now I just have to figure out how to get the photos off my phone...

13. What tools and equipment do you use, right from your camera to image editing software?

I use my trusty Nikon cameras , Manfrotto tripod, Profoto lighting set with battery pack to shoot on location, reflectors and scrims, Apple Macbook, Adobe Photoshop CS3, Illustrator, Freehand, medium format film camera and a macgyvered letterpress machine, my eyeballs and anything else I can get my hands on to make the pictures unique. 

14. Do you have the first image you ever took that you thought was worth sharing (no matter what age) and can we see it?

It was 5 years ago and I do have it, I call it Ghetto Vogue.

15. Any tips and advice for aspiring photographers?

Light is more important than the air you breathe, learning how and when to use it is key to great photos. I love trying different ways to try light the subject matter and use anything that emits light. I still want to trap a 1000 fire fly’s in a room with a Bentley then do a five hour exposure and see how it comes out... (copyrighted idea folks!)

Congratulations Dylan, we hope you enjoy your tasty new Mingo Lamberti t-shirt! For more of Dylan's work please visit his website here.