The Visual Student

Michael Rubenstein is a freelance photographer with Redux Pictures and is located in Mumbai, India.  Rubenstein previously worked as a contract and freelance photographer for the Oregonian in Portland, Oregon.  Rubenstein has an environmental studies degree from Prescott College in Prescott, Arizona and studied photojournalism in the graduate program at Ohio University.

This is the first segment in a series on international photography. To view the second profile on Kevin German, go here.  To view the third on Dominic Nahr, go here. To view the fourth profile on Andrew Henderson, go here. To view the fifth profile on M. Scott Brauer, go here.

CORP programs in Thane, a Northern Suburb of Mumbai on Wednesday, August 14, 2008 in Mumbai, India. (Michael Rubenstein)

VS: Can you talk about your current situation?

Rubenstein: “I’ve been in India for two years now and things have been great. At this point I’m working all over the region and in East Asia as well. While the first six months were a little slow, things picked up around month seven. Since then I’ve been pretty busy and even with the “down turn” in the US market my business has seen significant growth each year. Redux has helped a lot with marketing and promotion over the past two and a half years. They send out my books they send out promotional mailers and pitch the personal projects I’m working on to editors. Marcel, Jesi, Jasmine, Maria and Laura (though she’s left the agency) have been fantastic. It would definitely be a whole lot harder without the support of a US based agency behind me.”

Frieda Pinto from Slum Dog Millionaire on Thursday, December 4, 2008 in Mumbai, India. (Michael Rubenstein)

VS: How did you end up working internationally?

Rubenstein: “That’s kind of a funny story. I went into see Marcel Saba at Redux Pictures in April of 2007 in New York and told him I wanted to work with him and Redux. We sat down, looked at my work and at the work of some other photographers at Redux and talked for awhile. I came back in May and July and we talked some more. By the time July came around we had decided that Redux would represent me and that I would be based outside the US, which was something I’d wanted to do for a long time.

I had my heart set on Shanghai but Redux has two photographers in Beijing and one in Hong Kong and Redux wasn’t looking for another photographer in China. We went back and forth for awhile and Marcel asked me if I wanted to go to India. I’d never been to India, nor had I ever considered living in South Asia. However, I’d shot a three week project in Bangladesh a few months earlier. I liked Bangladesh and figured that although India and Bangladesh are very different places, I’d be okay in Mumbai or Delhi. So I said yes. My fiance and I spent the next three months selling cars, packing, renting our house and throwing going- away parties. October was crazy. I went to Eddie Adams, met with some editors in New York and then we got on a plane and landed in India on November 4, 2007.”

Sri Lankan elephants take a bath in a river on September 1, 2008. (Michael Rubenstein)

VS: What value do you place on working abroad?  Working for yourself?

Rubenstein: “Working and living abroad is an incredible experience. Working and living in a developing country is even more so but it can be very difficult at times. The trials and tribulations help you to become a better photographer and problem solver. There is nothing that I’ve done in my career that has helped me grow more as a photographer and as a person than living and working in India.

What can I say about working for yourself? It’s fantastic. Being able to choose your projects based on your interests and having time to pursue your personal interests is great. There are drawbacks, like the lack of vacations for workaholics, social security tax, health insurance and gear expense. But at the end of the day, if you do it right it’s fantastic.”

VS: Can you talk about your business model/philosophy?

Rubenstein: “My business model is pretty simple. Shoot what you like for clients you respect and who appreciate the work you’re doing. If I stick to that model I’m usually pretty satisfied at the end of the day. If I don’t then, well, you do the math. Photography speaking my philosophy is also pretty simple. On the personal side I like to work on projects that deal with subcultures or that relate personally to me. I like long term projects that I can work on on and off over a few years and lately I’ve been shooting most of them on my Rolleiflex. On the work side I will make sure everything is covered for an assignment and then shoot personal work on top of that. Quite often subjects or themes from assignments will lead to longer term personal projects. That happens more often when I work on jobs that I’m interested in versus the jobs I do just to pay the rent.”

Sanjay Nayar, Cheif Executive Officer of Citi India, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka on Wednesday, February 20, 2008. (Michael Rubenstein)

VS: What would you have done differently?

Rubenstein: “I would have visited India before I moved there. I’d never set foot in the country before I showed up with eight suitcases. I should have come for a month or two and checked it out first. It would have saved me some money and some headaches. Otherwise, I think I’m doing pretty well.”

VS: What advice do you have for photographers wanting to work abroad?

Rubenstein: “That’s a big one. There are a few things that can make life easier when you first shift to living and working abroad. I’d say that you should make sure you have support wherever you’re going. An agency helps a lot, even being an affiliate or a contributer will help you immensely.

It really helps to have a project to work on when you arrive. I didn’t and I really regret that. Having a project to work on does a few things; It helps you meet people in the place you’re moving to. It keeps you busy and it allows you to send editors something to look at immediately, which is super important if you want to make a living.

Make sure you make as many connections as possible before moving to a new country. Lightstalkers was invaluable as was the advice of other expat (someone who is a US or English or generally foreign citizen that has based themselves outside their home country) photographers who lived in Mumbai and Delhi before I moved here. I would have been lost without them. India is a very difficult place to live in and work in and without the help I received I’m not sure if I could have hacked it here.

On the financial side, make sure your books are in order and keep track of your business in a much more thorough way then you do in the US. Talk to a tax accountant who deals with expat businesses in the US and make sure you understand the tax laws of the country you’re traveling to.

Other than that, get your shots, eat the food and have a good time.”

Shahnaz Husain in New Delhi, India on Wednesday July 30, 2008. (Michael Rubenstein)