It all starts with their clients and the types of projects they attract. Characteristically, they are luxury, high profile, a confluence of aesthetics, emotion and intellect. Regina Rubino and Robert Louey's work is timeless, classic, sophisticated, and feels effortlessly high-end. Within the uber-luxury spectrum, the projects have been different and creatively challenging.
Before I’m brought into a project, the concept has been solidified and (with few exceptions) the team already selected. Regina and Robert have an innate instinct for pairing clients with creative talent. Pulling that crew together is paramount for the cohesion and unified sense of purpose requisite to effectively execute the extraordinary concepts they are so well known for. The team may include a number of designers, client representatives, stylists, wardrobe and make-up, lighting technicians, assistants of all sorts, even drivers. My role in this intricate ensemble is to interpret their concept and to manifest it into images.
Before embarking on any shoot, there’s intensive preparation: meetings, research, style sets, and logistics planning. As the team is prepared, the objective is made clear using mockups (comps), and contingencies are in place, so when things (inevitably) come up, everyone is prepared and can make adaptations on the fly. This is paramount. Precision is everything, organization is critical and in all these years — even with shoots outside the country (where logistics may be difficult), it has really paid off. There’s never been a hitch.
Regina and Robert’s comprehensive understanding of the various media and physical aspects that amalgamate to form the final piece, coupled with their ability to source and employ stylistically cohesive team partners, enables them to successfully practice their style of creative freedom with direction. This has provided the team with flexibility which helps the ebb and flow of any given shoot. Personally, it has given me the opportunity to not only participate in and learn from their collective pursuit of perfection, but also to develop a deeper sense of their aesthetic and develop the confidence to trust my own eye and voice.
I’m truly fortunate to have been welcomed into their fold, and to have been able to develop my skill set under the auspices of their creative and expressive umbrella.
~ Gina Sabatella
