Julia was our very first theme challenge winner at Snap Maven. That challenge was to create a self portrait that was non traditional. She did just that, and in such an amazingly beautiful way! With that she also becomes our first artist to be featured as well.
1. Please tell us about yourself.
When I was 9 and 10 I went to a quirky little school that
was heavily focused on the arts and humanities. Every other day we
listened to Bach, Beethoven, and Mozart, sometimes stopping in the
middle of math class for it while the school director whistled along
like an opera singer. The walls were covered with quotes from the old
philosophers and copies of paintings by all the masters that we were
required to know backwards and forwards.. We did Tai Chi for gym
class. That was after going to a Montessori school for 5 years so I
was considered a little weird when I transitioned into a regular public
school and that didn't help with my shyness. I was quite an
introvert, and still am, but much less shy now that I'm in my 40's (I
probably talk too much now!). I have two kids, a 14 yr old daughter
whom I love to photograph when she lets me, and an 11 yr old son who is
also very photogenic but he's even more difficult to get to sit for
me!! We have 2 little dogs, 2 ferrets, 4 hens, and a parrot all
currently living in Austin TX after moving from Houston about 6 years
ago. My small house is filled with odd things and art I collect. My
kids and their friends think it looks really cool during the day but
super scary at night which they assure me is not an insult. I hate to
be the crazy lady with the scary house! But apparently I am. In a
good way?
2. Can you describe your style in 3 words? Why those words?
No,
I can't! I really struggle with this because I think I'm all over
the map and it really depends on my mood. Maybe "moody" should be one
of the words! A lot of my work tends to be dark and I have had many
people mention that to me but I definitely have a light side too.
I'm stumped on this one. Truly. Some days I think I know what my
style is and the next it feels different. It does all have a
cohesiveness though..... even though I feel like it's all over the
place.
3. What sparked your passion for photography?
I've
always had an interest in art. My mother used to take pictures as a
hobby (she's an interior designer) and when I was young I would pull
out the slide projector in the early mornings before she was awake. I
was fascinated by her pictures.... there were hundreds of them. To
this day she claims she has no idea how to use a camera but she is very
talented. She was the true inspiration for my love of photography at a
young age.
4. What's in your camera bag right now?
I
have a Canon 7D and usually my 50mm 1.4 is on it, a Canon 60mm 2.8
macro which is my second favorite, also a Canon 28-135mm 3.5 (which I
may trade in for another zoom - I've had it the longest), and on order a
Sigma 18-35mm 1.8 that I'm dying to get. It's not a vast assortment
but it works for me. I probably have lens envy more than camera
envy.
5. What is your dream shoot or project?
Oh
gosh, that's a really good question. I don't think I've ever
thought in terms of a dream shoot since I don't usually shoot people,
however, I would like to change that. I'm really into surrealism so it
would be fun to work with a professional model which I have never done
before. There would be costumes and set designing involved. It
would be great to have a large studio to put that together in.
6. What are some of the hurdles you have had to overcome this far in your photography journey?
Well,
money is one. Photography isn't the cheapest thing to get involved
in! Probably my biggest hurdle is myself. My own fears of
criticism and judgement and failure..... plus, I'm TERRIBLE at putting
myself out there being somewhat of a hermit. Just answering these
simple questions made me anxious!! It's silly but true.
7. What advice would you give to newbie photographers? What advice do you wish you'd been given at the very beginning?
My advice would be to not be afraid to ask questions, don't under value your skill (that is much much too common), and don't be afraid to take bad pictures because you'll learn more from the bad pictures than the good ones. And lastly, you don't always have to follow the rules. Experiment!! As for what advice I wish I had been given.... hmm.... I wish someone had told me not to wait so long.
A Little Birdy was one of my first photo collages. It's approximately 7 years old. Self portrait.
Kitty playing piano is just a quirky little thing that i love. It sits on a shelf above a real piano.
Strange
Leaf is one of my favorite black and white macros. I took it at the
Austin Botanical gardens a couple of years ago. I have no idea what it
is.
The hand is from probably 8 years ago. It's not
photoshopped at all. Almost straight off the camera other than color
and contrast adjusted.
The double me is from 5 or so years ago but re-edited recently.
Red
headed girl is my daughter looking very unlike her usual self so of
course she HATES this photo but it's one of my favorites. It's from
last year.
Sunflower Corpse is from a few weeks ago in my backyard.
The
last image is not photoshopped other than color and contrast. It's
recent. It's a combination of tracing paper, tiny lights, wax, and a
bit of cilantro from my garden.
No comments:
Post a Comment