It’s been officially over a month since my last entry. That’s the longest stint I have ever gone without blogging. I really wish I could say I had a good excuse for not writing to you, but unfortunately my excuse is lame–I have been enjoying some down time. Simply put, I have been swimming, basking in the sun, taking hikes, going to concerts, spending evenings with friends, walking down to Spuntino’s for ice cream, and riding my bike. I even made a blueberry pie last night! Basically I’m doing all the fun summer things that most get to do in June that I rarely get the pleasure of enjoying because I am so slammed with summer shoots and weddings. And when I do have a second, I’m writing to you, dear blog. But this summer’s wedding season is a late bloomer. My first official wedding was last week and now I’ll be in work mode through Mid-October, diligently shooting and blogging. And I do have one other small excuse. I’m waiting for a brand new fancy blog. This new blog has been under construction since March and every week I think it will be done and I can go live with some amazing shoot or story to tell. But alas, it’s taking FOREVER and I simply can’t wait any longer. Please forgive me blog. I will visit you more frequently, I promise. And for those of you who actually read this blog, do stay tuned for some exciting posts and a new look!
xoxo
So without further ado, I give you Leah and Adam–two of the coolest cats I’ve had the pleasure working with. These two are super laid back foodies who enjoy good art, good times, and being good parents to their cute doggies, Max and Madison. It was Leah and Adam’s idea to cook dinner for their engagement session which I though was brilliant. I met them at Marczyk’s where they picked out some fancy ingredients for dinner. Then they drove me to their amazing city park apartment in their sweet ride—a vintage land cruiser. Basically I felt cool just being around them… We landed at city park. It was a great engagement session–very “day in the life of” Leah and Adam. I am looking forward to their wedding this Sunday at Botanic Gardens.
It hasn’t even been a week since my last day in Mississippi and yet I already feel like it was a lifetime ago. It took me this long to even begin to process all that I learned and took from the workshop with David, and I’m still trying to revel in the afterglow. Above all, my week in the Delta was a much needed immersion back into photography. PHOTOGRAPHY. My passion. My craft. My life. My heart. Photography. To take a break from talking business models and pricing guides and lightroom “workflow”to spend a week truly pursuing the craft of photography was one of the most exhilarating and affirming moments of my so-called “career”. I was photographing with 19 other seriously incredible photographers and being critiqued by them daily. I was pushed. I was humbled. I was insanely inspired. I can’t say that I’m a better photographer since the workshop. But I can say that I have a greater sense of confidence in my voice and in the images that I make and will continue to make in my normal day to day life. To be affirmed by true documentary photographers and artists that I don’t have to use pocket wizards to make a great image, or that things don’t have to be tack sharp or “color corrected” to be compelling, was revolutionary. Simply put, after a serious “identity” crisis, I have come to realize that I need to let go, have fun and make images again.
The workshop was supposed to be a technical lighting workshop. I signed up 1/2 for this reason, and 1/2 for the fact that I would be in the presence of David Alan Harvey with the blues as a backdrop. I expected to spend a lot of time learning to light dark, seedy juke joints at night so that I might take this knowledge and apply it to my weddings and/or portrait sessions. You see, as as wedding photographer who has spent way too much time looking at other wedding photographer’s work, I see a lot of trends–one of these being fancy lighting techniques which involve dragging light and or firing three or four flashes from a remote to make beautiful dancing shots or wedding party portraits. Ugh. Not my thing. I’m not saying that these type of images aren’t beautiful. They certainly are–and I thought I needed to use these techniques in my own work to make my work stronger–which was part of the appeal of this workshop. But alas, there was none of this in the workshop. We maybe spent 2 hours talking lighting and it was basic pop up flash, on camera strobe and something involving a cord and my extended arm. There was no fashion techniques or ways to make a person’s skin “glow”. However, I believe what I did learn about lighting and technique was far more powerful and caters to my style far more than a “one light workshop”ever could. Bottom line for me: I need to minimize my equipment, blend in, have fun and shoot organically. I don’t have time to set up 3 lights when shooting the streets or documenting an emotional moment at a wedding, for that matter. I would miss the moment in an attempt to make something that is already perfect, a little bit “fancier”. While I am fairly comfortable with a pop up and/or on camera strobe, what I wasn’t comfortable with was making images that might not be perfect, technically speaking. But then again–I would never call my work that. I would call it honest. And I’m comfortable with that now.
The other purpose of the workshop was to make a book. Not just any book make by My Publisher or Blurb, but a book promoted by David on www.burn.org and one that will hopefully be talked about in the photographic community. The pressure was on. We were supposed to go out on our own and interpret the Delta through our own essay or style. There of course is the Blues which is the first thing that comes to mind about the Delta, but I was flat out tired of photographing musicians on stage next to 10 other photographers—I get enough of that at home. So I explored. I never really found an essay—I think one needs a couple of weeks just to see what’s out there and establish relationships before she can delve into an essay defining a region of such rich history. But I drove from town to town, hit up bars, knocked on people’s doors and really got out of my comfort zone. After photographing Bruno’s I can truly say that there aren’t a lot of situations that I am scared to approach anymore and that in and of itself is priceless. I feel like I can approach strangers and listen to their stories and empathize with them. I feel connected to people through my art again. And this is an amazing feeling. I want to hold on to it and keep plugging along at my personal work and projects…
So without further ado, here are a few more honest, humble images from an incredible week spent in the Mississippi Delta.
One of the most frustrating things about a workshop is the fact that everybody is shooting the same thing–or even the same small town. I felt like we were descending upon these poor people of Clarksdale like paparazzi. So I left the area and headed to another town altogether. I had heard about this place called Bruno’s and that it was one of the only places that most people don’t feel comfortable photographing in because it’s full of “sketchy” people. So I grew a pair (so to speak), picked up a fifth of Hennessy and headed to Bruno’s with my hippie spirit and sense of confidence. The people hanging around Bruno’s weren’t very accepting of me at first, and making photos of them was out of the question, but after a few rounds of pool, some swills of Hennessy and a few gringo picks on the jukebox, I had made some new friends who were more than willing to have their photos taken. My afternoon at Bruno’s was actually one of the best experiences that I’ve had since I’ve been here. There is a very strong sense of segregation down here that I wanted to explore. I wanted to know if I would be accepted if I were just able to hang–no politically correct bullshit, just straight talk and a good amount of respect and empathy. It was pretty incredible how much I fit in, actually. I went to Walmart yesterday to make some prints of this shoot and think I will drop then off at Bruno’s tomorrow and say farewell to my “sketchy” new friends.
What a freaking roller coaster ride this workshop has been. I don’t know if I’m deflated or inspired–both, I think. I don’t know if I’m a wedding photographer (by eye) or a Nan Goldin. But herein lies the issue. I am both–I hope. And I want to somehow learn to bring these elements together. Not for weddings, not for street photography, but as my “style”– a complete package of the yummy emotion of a sentimental photographer and the edge of one who hangs out with junkies. Is this possible? It’s who I am (sans the junkies). David is an incredible encouragement. He knows me well enough already after a few nights of partying to know that I have it in me to really get in the grittier scenes and still capture the compassion–and yet he keeps saying “almost there, Julie. Almost there, but not quite.” I’m frustrated and scared that I’ll never fully transcend where I’m at, but it’s all good. We are only 3 days in, and to be honest it’s just completely refreshing to be focusing on my work and my style rather than booking weddings. So I’ll be posting some “almost there” images and hopefully I will see this voice that I crave start emerging as the week progresses. This is my ultimate goal—and of course a handful of bad-ass images….
It’s refreshing to get to photograph something out of the ordinary. Lotte and Rick haven’t had their portrait made in decades and thought it was about time to do so… And they wanted to do these at their beautiful old home in the highlands to boot! It was a great “day in the life” of Lotte and Rick and I thoroughly enjoyed going from room to room, looking through all their treasures and making photographs that are truly unique to this couple. I seriously had a moment of reflection and said a prayer of gratitude while Lotte and Rick were changing clothes. I am truly blessed to get to make photographs for a living and interface with hundreds of different people each year. And Lotte and Rick certainly shine.
Work isn’t work when working with women like Tamara Hutchins and Cynthia Goodberry. We did this shoot on Sunday, all in good fun and company. Of course Tamara is a natural beauty, but really Cynthia (www.denvermakeupguru.co makes a lady glow with her mad makeup skills. Seriously… She’s a sought after makeup artist and you should call her. Jesse even told me that I should have Cynthia do my makeup everyday after he saw me all dolled up at a friend’s wedding. And Tamara—Wow! This smokin’ babe is in her 40′s! You’d never believe it. I didn’t until I visited her for facial rejuvenation (basically a natural, safe botox). Not only did I see immediate results, but my skin cleared up, my digestion was better, and I started sleeping better. Tamara is a miracle worker. Make an appointment with her and see for yourselves http://www.zenredheadacupuncture.com/
I feel so fortunate and grateful for having such an amazing network of women in my life that I’ve been able to call my close friends. I will certainly be blogging about them more often to spread the love….
Tiffany is like a sister—we grew up across the street from one another and spent nearly every day of our formative years together… I was so honored when she asked me to photograph her wedding—we’ve all but lost touch touch completely as she lives in California and we rarely see each other. In fact, this was only the second time that I had the honor of being with Clark–the other time was last fall at another friend’s wedding that I was in, so I didn’t get to know him very well. After being at this wedding, I can say with 100% confidence that Clark is absolutely perfect for my friend Tiffany. They share so many things in common from their faith to the where and what they studied in college. Clark spent his childhood years and experiences in Boulder, Colorado. Tiffany spent her childhood years and experiences in Boulder, Colorado. Clark made the decision to leave the mountains and go to the beach for college at either Westmont or Pepperdine. He chose Pepperdine. Tiffany made the decision to leave the mountains and go to the beach. She chose Westmont. Clark loved mentoring youth. He mentored Collin Magiolo through tennis. Tiffany loved mentoring youth. She mentored Collin Magiolo through a friendship. Clark loved the beaches of Santa Barbara. Thankfully Clark’s family moved to Santa Barbara and gave him the opportunity for great weekend getaways. Tiffany loved the beaches of Santa Barbara, she studied more on the beach than in the library. Clark loved to travel and spent a semester in England. Tiffany loved to travel and spent a semester in Europe. Clark moved to the desert to get his MBA in Scottsdale, Arizona. Tiffany loved to visit her mom in the desert of Scottsdale, Arizona. Clark continued his passion for youth through working with Young Life in Arizona and Burbank. Tiffany continued her passion for youth through working with Young Life in Santa Barbara and Westlake. Clark was looking for a girl in Studio City. Tiffany was looking for a boy in Pasadena. Clark was encouraged by Collin Magiolo to meet a girl from Pasadena. Tiffany was encouraged by Collin Magiolo to meet a boy from Studio City. And the rest is history….
I can’t think of a better couple to be bringing a child into this world. Aubrey and Kirk are truly exceptional people whose joy is infectious and who are madly in love–with each other and with life. They were darlings to work with and I was reminded why I love what I do so much. I’m very excited to meet their little boy when he is born and am hoping to hang out with the three of them at Boulder cafe over martinis and crab legs. (Really, guys. I’m holding you to that!)
Lauren and Dan are one of the couples that I am most excited about working with this upcoming season. So it was no surprise that we had such a good time working together on their engagement portraits. We started at a bar on Colfax and then went to twist and shout, where we got kicked out (which is always an adventure), and then landed at and around the Tattered Cover.
Dan was extremely nervous about doing the shoot–I honestly think he thought he would have rather poked his eyes out than spend a Saturday afternoon posing pretty for engagement portraits. But between you and me…. I think he ended up have a pretty good time. Because I knew that Dan really didn’t want to pose for the camera, I did 90% of this shoot with a 70-200mm and was a voyeur. I really like the challenge of having to work as a journalist with engagement portraits, rather than spend an hour posing and making “pretty”. And the clients who prefer this type of documentation are my dream clients. Posing is great for a couple of shots—I guess you’ve gotta have that “newspaper shot”, but when I get to hide and capture “real life” during a “real time” in somebody’s life, I’m pretty much happy all around. Thanks, Lauren and Dan! Can’t wait for March 26th!
Street photography is my passion of passions. Who needs facebook when one can be a voyeur on the streets? It’s the human condition that I love most about photography. The quirks, the styles, the emotions… I love to observe and capture it all. But what moves me more than anything is the fact that as humans we all share the same planet, breathe the same air and are all mortal. I guess it’s a mix of empathy and curiosity that drives me to photograph the human condition.
I had the most amazing trip out to Dallas/Fort Worth to take some engagement photos of Libby and Brent whose wedding will be in August. The icing on the cake, was that my mom came along with me and we visited my brother who, at the time was working out in Fort Worth. I treasure our last day there together, when we went to Granbury, Tx to visit my grandparents graves…
Janis and Matt had a very spiritual, winter wedding in Boulder last month, and I was lucky enough to be the photographer. Janis and Matt are two people who radiate love and compassion and make everybody feel at ease around them. They are completely authentic and I fell in love with them at the first email they sent me inquiring about my services. They also laugh at all my jokes…
I was very pleased with the images from this wedding—there was such a reverence for the sacredness of this day among Matt and Janis and their loved ones, and I hope it shows in the photos. I think it does.
Congratulations, Janis and Matt—it was an honor!
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