Shop spotlight on Lumitrix. This is an online store selling fine art photographic prints which make stunning wall pictures for your home. It’s owned by freelance photographer Cara Connell who showcases work from talented photographers at affordable prices. The smart concept behind Lumitrix is that all their images are available for fifty pounds each which come in numbered editions of five hundred. I caught up with Cara to find out more.
Chambers by Banoo Batliboi
Meet the Lumitrix Owner
Cara Connell is a freelance photographer and was previously a lawyer and zoologist. Her father ran his own business so becoming her boss was something she aspired to do herself one day. The business idea fell into place when, as Cara puts it, “the stars aligned.” It was a culmination of many factors which brought her to this decision. She wanted to help fellow photographers sell their work to a broader audience and collaborate with other people because being a freelancer is sometimes a little lonely. Perhaps the biggest lever was breaking her shoulder, so she wasn’t able to use her camera. Cara tells me, “little did I know at the time, but this was the best accident in the world because it forced me into diving headfirst into launching the company.”
Owner Cara Connell
I asked Cara about the business name, “I love neologism; the making of new words such as Goop, Gu (the chocolate pudding), Google and Skype. I spent months trying to come up with a smart play on photography and while everyone still tries to call it the likes of ‘Luminatrix’ it breaks down nicely into tricks of light; Lumi = light and Trix= tricks.
Red Car Interior by Louisa Seton
Becoming an online store was a no brainer for Cara. There’s a whole world of technology, science, business, psychology and culture behind the internet. There may be a shop at some point, Cara tells me, “we would love to have a physical presence to showcase our goods to our consumer directly.”
Lumitrix Collection
Lumitrix sells contemporary photographic prints, framed or unframed from emerging photographers from all over the world. Cara comments, “the calibre of photography on sale for such affordable prices is our unique selling point. We have a good mix of new and emerging talent combined with photographers represented by galleries that sell their work in the thousands. We’re so proud that we are enabling a larger breadth of customer base to buy these works through the lower price point. Otherwise, such work would be unobtainable.” To give you an idea about what you’ll find online, Cara has selected five pieces to showcase.
Asleep by Nandini Muthiah shows a blue-bodied god lying in the grass with petals showering upon him. It’s somewhat surreal and a little bit kitsch. Nandini is becoming a key figure in Indian photography and resides in Chennai.
Asleep by Nandini Muthiah
Green Car by Louisa Seton shows a beautiful and battered 1950s car in Havana. Louisa travels the world with her camera and has had several solo exhibitions in London, Sydney and South Africa.
Lumitrix – Green Car by Louisa Seton
Eucalyptic by Oliver Barnett shows a Eucalyptus tree which he found on the edge of the Cape Point Reserve in South Africa. Oliver is a fine art photographer who is inspired by the natural world. He’s represented by galleries in London and South Africa.
Eucalyptic by Oliver Barnett
Sindri by Astrid Harrisson shows a stallion prancing around a field in Iceland. Astrid is an equine photographer who travels the world photographing horses. Galleries in London and Dubai represent her, and her work is featured in a book called The Majesty of the Horse.
Sindri by Astrid Harrisson
Hutt Lagoon by Steve Back shows an aerial view of the salt pans in the Hutt Lagoons situated in the Australian outback. His work focusses on the beauty of the natural world. He’s a commercial photographer working with advertising agencies and interior designers and is based in Australia.
Hutt Lagoon by Steve Back
Buy Lumitrix Products
If you’re after a photograph for yourself or as a gift you can buy from Lumitrix. Online you can view the pictures framed in room sets which gives a sense of what they might look like in your own home. The pricing is nice and straightforward – a print sells for £50 and to get it framed costs £135. They can also ship to most places in the world.
Author: Homegirl London. Photographs: Lumitrix. Thanks: Cara Connell and Sophie.