About The Photographer

First things first, as a wedding photographer, I have to make it clear that I cherish love....in ALL it's forms. I do not discriminate on your relationship. I do not sit in judgment because, honestly...how can you judge love? You come to me because you want to celebrate that you have found the one you want to live the journey of life with, and that makes me so proud to be a part of it. I am happy to give EVERYONE a great experience and amazing images to last forever. Everyone who works within my company has the same attitude toward love, and you'll never have to worry about judgement here. Now that that is said...

 

Are you looking for a unique experience with a skilled photographer who can handle anything? Then look no further! If you are looking for a fad photographer who relies on Photoshop to either fix errors that should have been corrected in camera to begin with or to make their images sale-able? Then please, stop reading...OK, now you serious photo peeps, I am happy to tell you about what to expect at Rukavina Photography.

We are primarily, a wedding photography studio, but that does not mean that we can not shoot your seniors, families, babies, maternity, fashion etc. We love everyone and have trained in every genre of photography, so we are well equipped to handle anything you may need.

We make it our mission, in our work, to bring joy to the lives of those we shoot. What is it that we want to remember? It is the emotion of the moment, whether it be the sweet calm of a newborn baby, the giddy laughter of a child, the excitement of the unknown and promising future of a graduating senior, the beauty of true love at an engagement or wedding? Why, all of it, of course! We, as photographers, can sometimes forget that we are shooting people, most of these images are not for magazine covers or awards. We are capturing a memory for you. A memory that will never come into our lives again...That is an amazing gift your are giving us. We get caught up in the thrill of victory that we sometimes forget to capture humanity. That is something that we promise you that we will never forget. ;)

Since you're probably here to learn about my work, and not my philosophy on life, I'll get started...

 

My love of photography began as a child. The magic of capturing a moment in time has always been exciting for me. For some reason, however, I started out as a Fine Art major in college. After a few semesters, I changed it to my first love...photography. I realized that I was no Michelangelo (who happens to be my favorite Renaissance Man) when I tried sculpting and I certainly needed help with my painting skills. Thankfully, I had a great couple of Art professors who had a ton of patience. The skills I learned there, definitely help me in my creation of art digitally. I also learned from my Photography professors that no amount of digital manipulation can fix an image if you don't master the light first. This involved studying not only natural light, but off camera flash, strobes and creating light in unusual ways. I can't sculpt like Michelangelo, as I said before, but I certainly have learned to sculpt my subjects with light!

After college, I just knew I was going to be a world-renowned photographer immediately because my passion was so strong. However, a person has got to eat, so life got in the way a bit :) But, thanks to my incredible husband and family, I was able to pick up where I left off after my youngest was born in 2006.

I am the luckiest person in the world. I get to earn a living doing something that I not only have a passion for, but it is what I was meant to do. It is a rare gift to be able to follow your passion, and I recognize that with every shoot.Nothing makes me feel more alive than when I am creating my own little masterpieces.

I use my background in art to help me create the images that you see in my portfolio to this day. Mastering lighting techniques to create the mood you want is a very difficult, but extremely rewarding experience. I enjoy discovering where the image takes me in post-processing as well. Michelangelo once said, " Every block of stone has a statue inside it, and it is the task of the sculptor to discover it." He was also smart enough to realize that he was still learning. I use the examples of the masters of the past and try my best to take a little bit of their genius and apply that standard of excellence to my work. I am constantly studying new techniques and I keep up to date with the latest ideas, however, I am not one to rely on fad techniques. I can, and often do, use new techniques to create an edgy image, but I can also sculpt the light, which is a must in this profession. You can be assured that I have studied many years and I take this very seriously, even though I come off as a big ole goofball most of the time ;). I push myself every day to become better and better. That is something that HAS to be done in this business. Aside from the fundamental skills and knowledge required to be a professional photographer, the only aspect of this job that you can bet on is that it is constantly changing and growing to new heights. It's very exciting!

I enjoy this "job" so much that it does not seem like work to me at all. I have a great time, and I make it my mission to make sure my customers have a great time also.

 

I greatly appreciate you taking the time to get to know a little about me and my work. I can promise you that I give everything I have to these portraits and I am always willing to listen to your input. After all, you are the subject of my work! I look forward to working with you all and I thank you in advance for allowing me the opportunity to be part of your lives, even if it's just for a moment!

 

-Linda