PHOTOGRAPHY
Celebrated in a new visual anthology and an exhibition at Claridge’s, Alexi Lubomirski’s portraits for Harper’s Bazaar capture a galaxy of stars from the worlds of film and fashion. By Brooke Theis
ALEXI LUBOMIRSKI HAS A NATURAL ABILITY to put the people he photographs at ease. ‘I have to find out who they are and who they need me to be for the day. Do I sense they want to be treated with the utmost respect… or that they like rude jokes?’ he says with a smile. ‘When they feel like I’ve heard them and I understand them, trust is born.’ His thoughtful approach, combined with deft camera skills and legendary charm (not to mention dashing good looks), has made Lubomirski the favourite photographer of the world’s most notable celebrities. He is drawn to images where his subjects appear at their happiest and, during his two-decade career, he has captured countless famous faces – including this month’s cover star Elle Fanning – in soft moments of reflection or peals of laughter.
The son of a Peruvian-English mother and a Polish prince, Lubomirski only learnt of his aristocratic heritage at the age of 11, while living in Botswana – the same year his stepfather gave him his first camera, a discovery that enthralled him rather more. ‘I found the joy of taking pictures of friends, trying to show them in their best light,’ he says. He returned to the UK to study for an art foundation degree at the University of Brighton, specialising in fashion, before moving to Paris in 1999, where he worked as Mario Testino’s assistant for four years. Subsequently, he began building his portfolio as a celebrity photographer, with early shoots featuring Renée Zellweger, Naomie Harris and Cate Blanchett.
In 2018, he was commissioned to take Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s official engagement and wedding photos, as well as portraits of King Charles and Camilla, the Queen Consort. In these, Lubomirski captures the more intimate side of a family usually portrayed in formal set-ups. One shot, for example, shows Charles midchortle, while Camilla’s hand rests on his knee. ‘What I noticed with the two of them is that, when nobody was looking, they would just be whispering to each other, smiling and laughing. It was like watching a new boyfriend and girlfriend,’ he says.
His long-standing relationship with Bazaar has seen him shoot many covers, including those featuring Olivia Colman, Lupita Nyong’o and Jennifer Aniston – all set to appear in his f
