Meet Leah Rabinowitz | Photographer

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

Hi Leah, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
I’ve always been fairly shy, and the only way I knew how to express myself was through my creativity. I started wanting to be an actor because I loved embodying different characters and somehow found it easy to perform as someone other than myself. As I got older and more comfortable with myself, I started to turn to photography, which combined my love for fashion and theatrics. As a photographer, you have to direct the subject rather than being directed, which took me a long time to get comfortable with – I do feel like I have my theater background to thank for helping me improve my photography skills; I feel like all art can easily be connected. My photographs feel more personal than acting ever did, and it took me a while to get used to the idea that I could make a career out of it, but so far it’s been extremely fulfilling. I get to learn and work with people who inspire me, and I couldn’t imagine a world where creating or consuming art wasn’t a big part of my life.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I always get excited when other artists or photographers that I admire compliment my work or want to collaborate with me. Honestly, my biggest inspiration is my peers in this industry. I rarely see other photographers as competition, but rather as motivation to keep creating work as strong as theirs.

It wasn’t easy getting to where I am today, and also not the path I thought I’d be taking! After college, I moved to New York City and originally was trying to make it as an actor. I always did photography as a hobby, but never thought I was good enough to do it professionally. My roommate at the time ended up getting a job at a vintage store near our apartment, and the owner asked if she knew a photographer who could help her with her Instagram and website. She asked me because she knew I desperately needed a job, and the rest is history! I gave up my acting career and slowly got jobs within the fashion world. I had to work in more behind-the-scenes roles for a while and truly had to “fake it till I made it” to get the jobs I wanted. I think for any creative industry, you have to leave your ego behind and be in a learning zone for a while. YouTube can be a great resource! Other than that, I think constantly networking and reaching out to people you look up to is key. I’ve been lucky enough to assist some of my favorite photographers by reaching out to them via Instagram, and those jobs were extremely inspiring and educational.

I think film and theater will always be a fundamental aspect of my art. While I don’t act anymore, I watch a lot of movies and take inspiration from them. I’ve never really been interested in street photography or necessarily photographing my surroundings. Some amazing artists do that so well, it’s just not my forte. I like building a scene or an environment, which is why I’ve always been drawn to fashion photography. There’s a lot that goes into the planning of a fashion shoot; you have to think about the styling, lighting, environment, and model that will help tell the story of that product. All those puzzle pieces are fun for me to plan and figure out. I’m constantly creating mood boards and jotting down ideas. I always try to make my photographs feel cinematic.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I’ve been prepping for this question for years! I’m constantly writing down recommendations to have them handy when anyone asks. I grew up in LA and have been lucky to live in a few neighborhoods, so I do feel like I know a lot of hidden gems!

I would probably start the mornings with coffee at Jurassic Magic, it’s a cafe in Mid-City that has the best coffee and a great vibe. Plus, there’s a cute little boutique and market attached. The interior reminds me of stores and cafes in Mexico City.

For the daytime, I love having a park and picnic day. We’d start by picking up some wine and snacks at a farmers market or go to a cute specialty shop like Larchmont Wine and Cheese or LA Grocery and Cafe. I also love this Italian market called Spaccio Salumeria, but it is unfortunately only open on weekdays. Then we’d head over to Wattles in Hollywood or the Silverlake Meadows. Of course, we could also go to the beach. I grew up in Marina Del Rey, so I’m biased and believe it’s the best beach in LA.

I love going to the movies and obviously, LA has great theaters – one of my favorites for smaller indie movies is a theater in
Beverly Hills, called Lumiere Cinemas. It has a very old-school vibe and only $3 popcorn! Other stops would be Braindead, New Beverly Cinema, or Vidiots. For newer movies, I love LOOK cinemas in Glendale. It’s a dine-in theater with truly the most comfortable seats that recline, and you can adjust the temperature, which I think is so funny, but also somehow comes in handy.

My favorite way to be social in LA is by going to gallery openings. Free drinks! And you usually meet interesting people. Kordansky has some of the best openings, in my opinion, just because they have such a beautiful space, and I always love their artists. CurateLA or Artillery Mag are good resources for finding out about openings. They’re generally pretty early, so I feel like it’s a good way to start the night.

For food, we’d go all over the place. There are some great old-school restaurants you have to go to, even if the food isn’t necessarily the best, but it’s quintessential LA. I’d probably start with The Smoke House, specifically on a Friday night when they have a live band. Other stops in that arena would be El Coyote or La Cabana.

And then my newer restaurant go-tos are Bowery Bungalow in Silverlake, Mizlala in West Adams, Pine and Crane, Sonoratown, Crudo e Nudo in Santa Monica, Jitlada, and Checker Hall in Highland Park.

For after-dinner drinks, I’d recommend Jones or Lily’s for an old-school Hollywood feel. As for dive bars, my go-to is Tom Bergin’s on Fairfax; I think it’s been open since 1936. My mom used to go when she moved here in the 80s, and it has stood the test of time. Another fun spot is Hinano in Venice for playing pool and a more rowdy crowd.

I’d probably end the week with a day of rest and relaxation at the Women’s Olympic Spa in Koreatown (sorry boys). It’s a peaceful women’s Korean Spa where you could spend the whole day if you want and even order food. Perfect way to end a long week!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Maybe this is so cliche, but the first person that comes to mind is my high school photography teacher! I took photography in high school as an easy class to fulfill a credit, but ended up falling in love with it. From the get-go, I was immediately drawn to the human body and clothing as subjects. I felt like all of my peers were photographing the beautiful landscape of Los Angeles, where I grew up, or portraits of their pretty friends, and my photos seemed out of place compared to theirs. I remember for one of my first projects, I photographed close-ups of my friend’s face with different pieces of jewelry on it because I liked the images it made, but I wasn’t sure if it made sense or if anyone would understand what they were. My friends in the class didn’t really get it at first, but my photo teacher loved it and even lent me this book, “Poo-Chi” by artist Mayumi Lake. In the book, there are photographs of an armpit with different fabrics, but it’s hard to tell what the actual subject is. It leaves viewers to have their own interpretation of the image, rather than take the image literally. I unfortunately don’t have any drawing or painting skills, but she taught me that I can still create similar work with photographs, and I’ll always take that sentiment with me.

The second person I would thank is my good friend and designer, Amanda Litzinger, who is the creator of the brand Stickybaby. We have been friends and collaborators for a little over two years now, and she’s graciously trusted me with photographing her beautiful designs. We have different artistic eyes and styles that mesh well together. She pushes me out of my comfort zone and continuously encourages me to keep sharing and creating art.

Lastly, I’ll shout out my dogs Elvis and Lulu, who are my safety net and forever inspiration.

Website: https://leahrabinowitz.com

Instagram: notlikestarwars

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leah-rabinowitz-339249123/