Julz Photography is dark romanticism and poetic decay; a
visual manifest of natural elements, gothic fantasy and heathen glamour – imagined,
created and captured.
Behind the lens is Julz,
a Melbourne based visual artist and entrepreneur with a spirited imagination.
She ambitiously explores photography as her creative medium, supported by the
collaborative efforts of talented artists and models who share a curiosity for
all things dark and beautiful.
Julz’ passion for
photography developed at an early age, as she recalls the hours spent in the
school dark room and late nights watching music videos on Rage. Fascinated by the visual concepts of clips by the likes of
Nirvana, Marilyn Manson, Hole and Nine Inch Nails, music became particularly
influential as she grew attentive to the sensory aesthetics, analysing whether
the visual work suited the concept of the song, as well as the music itself. Embarking
on her creative path early on, Julz fronted and managed a female rock band for
several years, and explored her natural passion for visuals by photographing
the band and other musicians. The photos caught the interest of a company who
bought and sold her prints to music stores throughout Melbourne, however the
potential future of the band meant Julz would study technical music production
and photography would remain a secondary hobby.
After experiencing some
success with the band before breaking up in 2009, Julz also launched an
alternative fashion label – which attested to her marketing skills and led to a
revisiting of her photographic interests following an overwhelming response to
a photo shoot that commemorated the end of the label. Inspired, encouraged and
suddenly inundated with requests to do photo shoots, it seemed a natural progression
for Julz to explore the greater possibilities of photography.
On her walls, an inspired
Julz has the paintings of Midsummer Eve (1908)
by Edward Robert Hughes R.W.S. and Midsummer
Night (1886) by John Atkinson Grimshaw, a reference to the influence of the
Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood era, rebellious artists who revived the poetic and
pleasing aesthetic visuals of beauty, nature and the supernatural. This style
is most evident in Julz’ work as her imagery is less defined and structured by
conventional design and instead driven by passion for the concept. She produces
her visions by sourcing natural settings around Melbourne, utilising natural
light and shadow to evoke the dramatic, placing adequate value on dress,
make-up and props to enhance this, while striving to convey the subjective and darkly
poetic nature of beauty in the relationship between all forms.
‘I like to take
something so beautiful and then kind of f*ck it up a bit!’
In the midst of
developing her tools, skills and method, Julz applies a resolute yet
open-minded approach to every project with the aim to achieve the best possible
translation of concept to product, supported by the talents of her team who contribute
to a collaborative process. She also maintains strong influence in every aspect
of the project and is unfazed by the challenges of hands-on creation, even making
her own sets from scratch when location scouting proves fruitless.
Importantly, Julz
believes in finding the right combination of people for each shoot, those who
are both thematically suited and pleasant to work with, and designers she is
personally impressed by. Her photography isn’t motivated by popular association
and usually features independent, up-and-coming talent. For Julz, this results
in a more fluid, meaningful engagement and has meant positive rapport and
ongoing relationships with some of the best aspiring artists, models and
product clients in Australia, all of whom have been integral to her ability to
explore ideas and develop a constantly growing folio of memorable photographic
experiences.
‘I get great
fulfilment out of my style of photography. I get to use lots of different art
forms to create the end result.’
Establishing Julz Photography in 2009, Julz is currently studying
her Diploma in Photoimaging and commits to workshops, short courses and
countless shoots for challenging and development opportunities in an
increasingly popular and competitive art. She now has a strong folio, happy
clients and regular contact by magazines and clothing labels seeking her unique
visual style, including Inked Magazine Australia/New Zealand who used an image
of local tattooist Ran Maclurkin by Julz Photography as a full page feature (Issue
6 Mar/Apr 2011).
‘I have so many ideas…
enough to last me for the rest of my life. I am inspired by everything.’
Spurred by opportunity and unafraid to create them, Julz
Photography has many exciting projects in the works and will continue the exploration of alternative art through the
lens and beyond.
Julz is armed with: 7d Canon and Canon 430ex ii Speedlite
Flash, lenses, reflectors, studio lighting, a high calibre artist network and
importantly, a killer imagination.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Julz-Photography/173950139283225
Model Mayhem: http://www.modelmayhem.com/2186713
E-mail: julz.photography@gmail.com
Model Mayhem: http://www.modelmayhem.com/2186713
E-mail: julz.photography@gmail.com
Biography by Emily Stekly
