Following celebrities on Instagram is nothing new. I'm sure you or someone you know religiously (and/or secretly) checks out Rihanna's, Kim Kardashian's, or even the Biebs' posts, but if you're like me and you haven't quite jumped on the "Instagram as social media" train, you may want to make an exception. Six-time Oscar-nominated cinematographer Emmanuel "Chivo" Lubezki, one of the greatest DPs of our time, not only uses his exceptional eye for moving images, but for stills that he posts quietly on Instagram.
I have this -- I guess you could call it a dream -- of finding that perfect song, film, and book out of all of the songs, films, and books in existence that is undoubtedly the best I've ever heard, seen, and read. They're out there somewhere, I just have to rifle through centuries worth of creations. The internet is the same way; I'm always wondering what I'm missing. For all I know, some old, never before seen footage of Kubrick exists on some random fan-curated website, where he offers personal masterclasses on how to make films. (A girl can dream.)
Lubezki's Instagram is one of those hidden Internet gems -- this profile that once existed in relative anonymity, became a bit of a mystery that was in the process of being uncovered. As this article from Slate states:
As his viewership grew -- he currently has a relatively modest 4,900 followers—and hundreds more images were loaded, a few of which offered keyholes into his high-profile work for Hollywood, there became a sense that a case was being solved, crystalized by a user comment that accompanies an image of a stand-in wearing a spacesuit on the set of Gravity: “bro I dunno but I think this might be Lubezki’s ig.”
You can see Lubezki's aesthetic sensibilities in not only his work on Gravity, but also A Little Princess, Sleepy Hollow, The New World, Children of Men, and The Tree of Life, all of which got him a nomination for an Academy Award. Knowing that such a master of the craft has a collection of personal photos on an app that you look at when you're in line at the bank is truly incredible and exciting.
Below is a selection of several of Lubezki's Instagram photos -- let me say that again in a different way. Below is a selection of several Instagram photos from the Instagram account of one of the greatest cinematographers working today, who has been nominated for six Oscars, and who worked on one of the most technologically advanced/complex/creative films of the year. Yes -- that individual is sharing his personal (and beautiful) photos on social media, and adding to the collection regularly.
One of my favorite things about Lubezki's Instagram is directly related to what I explained earlier -- my desire to find things that aren't necessarily hidden, but aren't necessarily out in the open. The cinematographer doesn't say much about his photos, nor does he respond much to comments, but occasionally he will, and this led me to wonder if he shared which cameras he used to capture each photo (he obviously wasn't using just an iPhone on most of them). After some obsessive digging through his 400+ photos, I found the answer -- his answer to the same question posted on one of his photos. He uses an iPhone 5, Ricoh GR, and a Nikon D800, shooting with a 28mm or 24mm lens. (I also read a response he made on a different photo that he uses the Snapseed app for post.)
So, check out Lubezki's Instagram and get a more well-rounded idea of what the world looks like through a master's eyes.
What do you think of Chivo's Instagram photos? Do you use Instagram to post your best photographic work, or is your photo stream reserved for pictures of plates of food and cats? Let us know in the comments below.
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