FACT. Julia Galdo is one of my heroes. Before I ever considered myself a photographer, I looked at her work in awe. I was humbled by her photos.
Nowadays, when I’m in the act of shooting, I think I’m great. I think I’m the best thing since sliced bread. I talk a lot, exude confidence — well, arrogance, really. I jump around, mock-surprised at how good a shot is, and reassure the models that we are making magic. And that feeling will sometimes last until I get home, and then I see one of Julia’s photos.
I look at her photos today, and it is the same as those many, many (three?) years ago. Because Julia is a Real Photographer.
I know because I’ve seen her operate. Seen her direct a model, compose, create within her mind, make it all happen. When I first met her, I was expecting someone distanced, maybe even a bit snooty. When someone who creates the photos she does, you expect them to be some genius who breathes rarefied air from a fancy canister. Someone who speaks above your pay grade. Instead, she was gregarious and excited. Jazzed. Yeah, jazzed, that’s the perfect word.
And almost three years later, jazzed is still the word I’d use to describe her. She draws a true excitement from photography and utilizes that to create amazing work. It’s an energy that definitely spreads, and energy goes a long way during a shoot. Best part? Julia’s getting big. Not all at once, and not nearly fast enough for her taste, but she moved down here early in the year to be a Professional Photographer, and now it’s happening.
I could spew out some more FOLLOW YOUR DREAM stuff at this point, but that’s not really what did it. Rather, what did it was damned hard work. Another reason she’s my hero. Maybe a far better reason that just, “ooh, she’s a really good photographer!”
She understands that to be successful in her field, you can’t just be talented: you have to work, work at your art, work at marketing yourself, at getting your name out there, and you need to be able to hustle, to get it the way it needs to be done, for the client.
Julia’s good at what would be the montage part of her story, where in a lot of fast edits you’re shown how she knocks on all the doors, takes all the meetings, leaves her portfolio, picks it up, then drops it off somewhere else. Except in real life, that there is a boatload of work.
She’s my hero because she’s willing to put in the work. For a lazy bastard like myself, that’s about as hardcore as it gets.
See Julia’s work at www.juliagaldo.com AND BE AMAZED.
really like that second photo. by the way, though, do you ever shoot men, or just women?
thanks! i pretty much just shoot women, men very infrequently. i like shooting attractive subjects, and women are far more attractive to me than men are.