Meet Austin Lushinski of @young_lush

Today we’d like to introduce you to Austin Lushinski.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Austin. So, let’s start at the beginning, and we can move on from there.
I started out my portrait photography in December of 2017 by practicing through FFA (Free-For-All) editing contests. Popular Instagram photographers would provide their raw images as templates for participants to work with.

At the time, it was difficult for me to venture out in Mississippi and find people to photograph when I had little to no experience to offer. These contests had been a convenient way for me to work with great quality images and they helped me to understand the characteristics of composition and style.

These contests also fed into my competitive drive to learn as much as I could solely through YouTube lessons to understand how to improve my workflow. I eventually won my first FFA contest in April 2018. After that, I felt more comfortable, as an editor, to begin reaching out to local people on Instagram to shoot with me.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
I think the hardest part for me was to resist being a Yes-Man to every person that came asking to work with me. I had started out not charging for photoshoots because I was in a place where both sides of the camera stood to benefit from collaborating

Eventually, I got to a level in my work where I had to be particular with whom I would choose to shoot with, free of charge, because I felt that they could offer a new look or level of experience that would stand to progress my portfolio. I received numerous messages of support for my work, and then I would eventually be asked to collaborate.

The moment I would provide my fees, the individuals would vanish out of the blue faster than they appeared in the first place. For the time being, I have kept the number of people I shoot with freely small, so I may focus on the art behind my shots without letting money get in the way.

We’d love to hear more about what you do.
Nowadays, I find myself interested in vibrant colors, strong contrast, and a bold tone to my photographs. My strengths come from my sense of color balance and ability to correct flaws and imperfections throughout an image.

A lot of photographers run into issues with setting up proper compositions and then recognizing what flaws in the image must be corrected after the shooting is done. Of course, there are many styles to portraits, but I believe that photographers should be driven always to analyze their work and take the appropriate steps to improve.

Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
I’ve met so many great new people, photographers, and models, ever since I moved to Arizona in January. I owe a lot of gratitude to the people I’ve shot with over the last few months. Without them, I wouldn’t have been able to create the shots I’ve envisioned.

Credit also goes to the photographers that have given me realistic feedback on my shots. Without their guidance, I wouldn’t have been able to make positive changes in my editing techniques.

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