Lubbinge’s photography is female driven and with her cunning use of nature and the female form she pulls her viewers into a carefully curated utopia unique to her work. Nature and the female form become one as she captures with her lens that which she finds beautiful and inspiring.
Lubbinge lived in Pretoria for most of her childhood. At the age of 13 her family migrated towards a quieter life to the small coastal town, Port Alfred in the Eastern Cape. As Lubbinge approached Grade 9 she was sent to an All Girls boarding school in Port Elizabeth where she completed her matric.
She saw the world through a viewfinder for the very first time as a young 12-year-old girl photographing her eldest sister as a pastime. The camera in question belonged to her sister but to Lubbinge, it was hers. In order to protect the peace between the two sisters, her parents soon had to get her a camera of her own.
In grade 10 Lubbinge got her first SLR camera and started documenting the world she found herself in at that age; a world that consisted of hostel and school life at an all girls school. “I was glued to my camera and it became a big part of my life.” Mesmerized by the realm photography had created for her, Lubbinge found comfort behind the lens of her camera.
Using natural landscapes as the backdrops for her imagery, Lubbinge feels that growing up in a family that has a special love for nature, has made her feel like it is a part of who she is as a person. “I love how a landscape can patiently wait, and when the light strikes at the right time she transforms to her full splendor. She is ever changing and always perfect. I find studios restraining and I struggle to interact with an empty space. My talent lies in spotting something that is already there and giving it new meaning.”
Lubbinge strives to portray the environment in her backdrops the same way that she sees them with her physical eye at that given time. She enjoys going on photo missions with friends and is enticed by how a sunrise and a sunset possess different qualities. “I love how the same beach always looks different or completely new, as it is a subject to light and tides. I love the lines nature creates and how plant growth and light clothes mountain ranges just like a girl would clothe herself.”
Finding inspiration in people that she considers beautiful, nature itself and unusual clothing in interesting colours, Lubbinge captures what she sees with her naked eye in a hypnotic fashion. “We are all interconnected, constantly inspiring each other to improve and to do more. If I can learn one thing from other photographers is that I can always improve…it is part of the journey. It’s a great attitude to have to stay inspired.”
Growing up with a predominantly female presence in her life, Lubbinge is acutely aware of the insecurities that come with being female as well as the social expectations women feel obligated to honor. Lubbinge expresses that she possesses many of these insecurities herself and therefore finds comfort in other women.
Choosing to photograph women because she understands their inner workings, she captures something inside her subjects that they might not have been aware that they possess themselves. “I have never quite felt comfortable in my own skin and I want to make the people around me feel like they can and should be comfortable with themselves because I see the beauty they carry within them and that beauty has a physical manifestation.”
Stating that her photography is generally for herself and her models, Lubbinge finds gratification in the emotional responses her work evokes to her viewers. Her photography is intended to be an adventure and its purpose to capture how she feels about people and her environment.“When people and nature come together they create magic. I hope to trigger a feeling of honesty and positivity.” Lubbinge’s desire is for her photography to show her perception of the women portrayed in them and how they make her feel alive.
The girls featured in Lubbinge’s work consist largely of her friends and family. In her process Lubbinge strives for authenticity and styles her own shoots. Using locations that have pulled her attention by means of its unique qualities, Lubbinge relies on natural lighting to portray realness. The spontaneity of working with natural light is something that Lubbinge enjoys and considers to be a defining characteristic of her work.
