She was born on September 15, 1945, on Staten Island, and her father, Isidore, owned the Tudor Furniture Company, and her mother, Sylvia (Grossman) Rubenstein, taught elementary school.

[1] Rubenstein started her photography career by providing complimentary portraits for the celebrity interviews of her journalist friend Lita Eliscu.

Bonnie Garner arranged for her to have access to the Fillmore East, where she documented many rock acts including Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison, John Lennon, Yoko Ono, Lou Reed, Pink Floyd and Joe Cocker.

[2] A trip to Nashville in 1975 resulted in a love affair with the personalities of country music, producing a large body of work on celebrities like Lynn Anderson, Johnny Cash, Tammy Wynette, Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson.

She enrolled in 2009 in Watkins Film School and subsequently produced, directed and photographed short movies.