Today we’d like to introduce you to Julie De Andrade.
Julie, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
My father is a photographer and this art has always been present in my daily life since I was a kid. My interest in photography started during college, around 2009. Until then, I had no technical knowledge of photography, I was just a great admirer.
When I had my first iPhone, I started taking pictures and it started to awaken something in me. The immense possibility that I could have with photography. It was then that I asked my father to teach me the basic principles of photography. I didn’t want to be another person in the world who took a picture or pressed the button on the camera without knowing what I was doing. I wanted to understand why one photo was darker and another was lighter. I wanted to know why one photo was blurry and another was not, that was my focus: understanding the camera’s controls, understanding how I could arrive at the final result.
In 2012, when I traveled to NYC, I saved the money for almost two years to realize my first dream: to have my first semi-professional camera and it was certainly a game-changer. My first camera was a Canon t5i, I used this camera for almost six years. From then on, I tried to put into practice everything my father taught me and tried to find my own style, which made my heart extremely happy. In the beginning, it was a great hobby in my life, I have a degree in Business Administration with a focus on Marketing and all the opportunities that came up, I made the most of training and learning.
At the end of 2013, some friends started paying me to do photoshoots, events, birthdays and the first time this happened, I was very nervous, I wasn’t just shooting for a hobby, someone was putting total trust in me to capture a special moment. For two years, I photographed big parties in Rio, and that gave me a huge experience in my career. It was a completely different area than what I was used to. I photographed during the night, in low light and thousands of people. I am eternally grateful for all those who trusted my work, even though I have little experience.
And it was at that moment that I decided to create copyright projects, related to fashion, to products, I invited my friends, I searched for the best places in Rio de Janeiro to photograph and transformed all ideas into a photographic project. After that, I started to photograph couples and even wedding !! Everything was happening VERY fast and it scared me a little. Although I dedicated myself a lot to everything I did, I did not feel completely compelled to risk doing more serious projects, like weddings. It was then, that I returned to study photography intensively, to go even deeper into each technique and also to study about the big trajectory photographer, which few people do.
Look for several photographic references that I found interesting and that fit my style, how renowned photographers started their work, how they understood photography. For someone just starting out in this business, I recommend researching and reading about big names like Henri Cartier- Bresson, Ansel Adams, Louise Dahl-Wolfe, Vivian Maier, Robert Capa, Karl Lagerfeld, Brassaï, Annie Leibovitz. After all these years, I learned that the more you search, read, have a deeper knowledge of what you love, the recognition will be increasing.
In 2017, I moved to San Diego and decided that I would definitely become a professional in photography, bought my first full-frame camera, enrolled in the Portraiture Professional Certificate at the USCD and studied, studied, learned, learned, learned. I have completely stepped out of my comfort zone. I was learning photography in another language. I was studying photography as a business, I was learning to shoot in studios. I had experience with professional photographers with different specialties. From then on, my life changed because I knew that photography was my passion. It was what made me smile; it brought me joy in learning and dedicating. Nowadays, I had the opportunity to travel to photograph weddings, for brands, families, commercial, and pregnancies. I am far from stopping to grow, but the path is not easy, for that it takes a lot of physical, emotional and financial dedication. But one thing I learned over almost 11 years of photographing: if you work with something you love, you clearly show it in your work.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
I believe that if everything goes well on your journey, something is wrong. Everything you do in life needs to be achieved with work, investment and dedication. And in photography, this trajectory is no different. First of all, today, there are thousands and thousands of photographers, so it is a job that there is a huge competition and you need to dedicate yourself and understand how you can differentiate yourself from the rest.
Why a customer will choose you to photograph and not someone else. Second, being a woman photographing is still not the vast majority in this industry, although there are wonderful photographers, we are still a minority. And mainly, when you are starting, you need to show ten times more how much you are qualified for that job.
Photography is an expensive profession, the investment in equipment, in paying for a website, domain, editing programs and many other things, is huge and unfortunately, most people do not see this part of the job. Often, customers end up choosing other photographers, because they find a price too high or because they think that price is not fair. So, we photographers will receive a LOT of no and sometimes a few yes. Sometimes, we will feel frustrated, or we will not believe in our work. It is a constant journey, which needs constant adaptations and changes.
We’d love to hear more about your work.
When I moved to San Diego, I was sure that I wanted to make photography my profession and I wanted to make my passion a business. It was when I did the whole design of my website, I created my logo, invested in business courses, put together my marketing plan, prices, visual identity. I would not say that I am a company, I am the person responsible for everything, maybe one day I have a team to help me, but for now, I take care of social media, updating my website, agenda, bookings, editing.
My photography is not focused on just one segment. My heart belongs to several photographic types such as a wedding, couples, portraits, commercials, fashion, editorial. I believe that because I have studied several areas, my mind is prepared to focus on different segments, depending on which photography style I am going to do, I research, look for trends, inspirations, and I do my best to offer the best job to my client. My motto for my style, what makes me unique, is to bring color, joy and meaning to the photos.
My work always has a great meaning in every image, I showed in one image the story behind that moment, I always try to bring joy to that moment so special and I show the infinite possibilities of colors that we have in everything we live, in a small detail down to the colors of nature.
What were you like growing up?
I have always been and still am a person who seeks joy and I am always smiling. For me, smiles transform people, bring peace and joy. My parents and my family have always taught me to be grateful for everything we have, from material things to the small achievements we have in our lives. So my family and friends are extremely important in my life. I have the best stories because of the incredible people that I have around me.
Another thing that I am extremely passionate about is history. I love to know every detail, every subject from every place I go to visit, or when I plan to visit. Knowing about cultures, about people is one of my greatest joys. Living close to the sea is necessary for me. The Ocean represents renewal and brings me eternal peace.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.juliemdeandrade.com
- Email: [email protected]
Image Credit:
Julie De Andrade Photography
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