Meet Len Rubenstein of Len Rubenstein Photography

Today we’d like to introduce you to Len Rubenstein.

Len, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Grew up in the Bronx, New York. Went to college in New Hampshire and Graduate School at UCONN. Took a job at a Film/TV Production house call TR Productions in Boston. Formed a partnership with photographer Jim Conaty and opened a studio in downtown Boston servicing the growing computer hardware/software industry. Our clientele was all the major computer companies, Digital, Wang, IBM, local companies, Polaroid, Lotus, Fleet large agencies, major design firms. At this time the early 80’s there was an abundance of work for all, but I was tired of the large studio productions and left to form my own simplistic location business.

I decided to concentrate on major annual reports, corporate advertising and the expanding academic field. I reached out to award winning annual report designers, not only in New England but all across the country. I was fortunate to land annual report assignments for McDonald’s, Campbell Soup Company. Aetna, Bank of Tokyo, Bausch & Lomb and many more that had me traveling 150 days a year worldwide. When the annual report seasons ended I continued traveling working on capital campaigns and collateral for the academic and corporate worlds.

Today I work primarily in the Biotech, Pharma, Medical, Corporate and Academic World. I’m spending a great deal of time working on image libraries for clients like: Boston Scientific, Brigham and Women’s, Charles River Labs, Vertex Pharmaceuticals, DeVry Medical and others. I’ve also embarked on choosing a different non-profit organization each year to do a pro bono portrait series. These projects have taken me back into the studio and challenged me both photographically but also socially. The first year I did a series of profile images for Special Olympics that have recently shown up on billboards all over New England. I was fortunate to work with an award winning extremely talented designer Matt Ralph owner of the design firm Plainspoke in providing Special Olympics’ with a custom designed book of my images. Other portraits series have been for Friendship Home, a place that provides quality respite for individuals with developmental disabilities, Spare Change, the Cambridge/Boston newspaper for the homeless, ROCA, an organization using a four-year intervention model for the highest risk young people.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Actually it has been a great run.

I made it a point early on to promote my portfolio to award winning design firms throughout the country. During the slow times in New England, I was hustling for work in New York, Chicago, Minneapolis, LA. The fields that I have specialized are pretty recession proof. The corporate world might take a hit, but the medical field is booming. Photographers never paid a lot of attention to the academic world until agencies, and design firms saw the explosion of tuition fees which led to highly competitive admission materials.

Please tell us about Len Rubenstein Photography.
I am self-employed. I’ve had the same assistant (more like a partner) for twenty years. I travel lightly and specialize in photographing people. I’m just at ease photographing a CEO as I am a homeless person. I’m looking to please my subject as much as my client. I’m proud to say I’ve had some clients for over thirty years. Growing up in New York, it was such a visual experience. I was so aware of my surroundings, be it architectural or just the diversity all around me. It molded my communication skills and those can’t be taught in school. I feel very fortunate and thankful for all the people that have allowed me into their world.

Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
The Bronx was amazing. I thought everyone lived like I did. I could walk to Yankee Stadium. I would take the D train to 59th street and walk around Manhattan, from Central Park to the Village all day long for hardly any money at all. That was a free visual education that molded my career.

Contact Info:

• Address: Len Rubenstein Photography
  41 Ocean Avenue
  Scituate, Massachusetts 02066
• Website: lenrubenstein.com
• Phone: 781 545-1044
• Email: len@lenrubenstein.com
• Instagram: lenrphoto

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