Royal Wedding Photographer Alexi Lubomirski Creates a New Title for Himself
While many associate Alexi Lubomirski with his wedding photos for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, the lensman reveals more of his artistic side in “Talk to Me Always: Poetry, Prose & Photography.”
As the title spells out, the 308-page tome is a compilation of poems, verses and images that Lubomirski has created since he was 18 years old. Available for pre-order now and due out in late October, the Andrews McMeel book showcases painterly pictures and delves into the new medium of photopoetry.
In the book’s introduction and during a recent interview, Lubomirski explained how being a fashion photographer had left him feeling “trapped,” in terms of restricting his creativity. “Every time I got inspiration — if I were looking at my wife as the light was shining off her head and I felt this emotion of love, I would think, ‘How can I take this inspiration and transform that into a photograph?’ Then I started to allow that inspiration to manifest into whatever medium that would be most beneficial for it. It could be a montage, a painting, a poem, prose or whatever,” he said. “That ended up feeding my photography. You start to flex your creative muscles in different ways.”
But poetry is not a new pursuit for Lubormirski, who has been writing poems regularly for his wife Giada for at least seven years. During the pandemic lockdown, he started to post the occasional poem on Instagram about introspection, family, the future and change — all relevant and well-received subjects in these unsteady times.
However, the first time he posted one of his poems seven years ago was more nerve-wracking. Lubomirski posted at midnight so that he could have at least seven hours to take it down. “I was lying in bed wide awake thinking, ‘Oh, my God. I’m an idiot. What am I doing? I should stay in my lane. Who am I, a fashion photographer writing poetry? This is ridiculous.’” he said. “Around 2:30 a.m., I thought, ‘Would I prefer to remember at the end of my life that I just whispered in my wife’s ear that I loved her or that once in a while I shouted it from a mountaintop?”
As for his personal favorites amidst the many photographs, Lubomirski said, ”I’m a sucker for love and family. Anything to do with my kids and my wife holds so much inspiration for me.”
All of his proceeds from “Talk to Me Always” will benefit Concern Worldwide. “I’ve been so blessed with my photography career. I feel like this [creative] stuff is not coming from me, if that makes sense. I have read this about a lot of other writers and painters. You feel like you suddenly tap into this creative energy and it feels like such a gift. It would feel very wrong, if I kept anything to do with this,” he said. “In order to try to keep the flow of good energy, and hopefully keep that creative juice coming towards me, I have to pass on whatever comes my way for the best.”
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