a bit bout me
My name is Maria Julie, but please just call me Julie. I was born and raised in a small Mexican village until I was seven years old, so I am fluent in both English and Spanish. I love a good adventure! In my short lifetime I have traveled to 18 countries and lived in three. The world is so big and so great, I want to see it all.
I am married to my best friend, James. He is brilliant, supportive, and conveniently my second camera on wedding days. Together we have a happy home in Omaha with our four cats (I am what some could call a “foster failure”). I am a runner, but not a super fast one, though I am working on it.
Things that make me happy: Soft warm light filtering through a window, a pour-over coffee or some loose-leaf tea, a good book I can get lost in, hiking, exploring, and meeting new people.
I was a designer for most of my professional career, but nearing age 30, I took a leap and pursued what I loved the most, because life is short and we should all just go for it.
my approach
Let’s face it, the photography industry is filled with fleeting trends, and a certain pressure on you to look a certain way in photographs. Blame Pinterest, blame Instagram, blame me for thinking this is what you wanted. The industry is helping to perpetuate the cycle, it’s saturated with photographers in it for the money, and not for the primary role to tell the truth. When did we lose sight of the moments that really matter? When did photographers start putting their ego into their work, creating images for their portfolios, rather than remaining true to the people they were serving?
I’m the first to say that I got spun up in the whirlwind, did my part. It never made me any happier with my work, and I don’t think it ever made my clients as happy as they could have been. For one thing, I had pressure to make them look like something they saw on someone else’s Pinterest board, which to put it bluntly, is a major disservice to whom they were as individuals.
But I can promise you this: I will honor the privilege and access that has been granted to me when I am hired. You will never be made to look/behave like anything but yourself. You don’t have to perform for the photos, or for anyone else. All you have to do is be yourselves, and know that it is enough. Your story is different than any other, which means your photos should be too. If any of this resonates you, then I hope you’ll reach out!