Today we’d like to introduce you to Julie Shipman.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I took a bit of a circuitous route to find my career as a photographer. I grew up in SLC and attended East High School, class of ’84. I headed east to college (Duke University) and did not return until 2000 after my father died in a plane crash. In those interim years, I went to graduate school and taught high school, AP Euro and US History mostly. Upon return to SLC with 3 young boys in tow, I decided to take a year off and focus on being a mom. My mother was also engrossed in her political career (Paula Julander, Utah Senator) and I worked with her for a while too.
While going through my father’s things, I found his old camera. This was still ‘film days.’ I picked it up and took a class at the SLCC, just for fun. Well, that ‘fun’ led to a full time career in photography for the last 25 years! I was never formally trained as a photographer but it came very naturally to me. I shot some photos for the school kids and pretty soon I was getting asked to shoot family portraits. Hesitantly I said yes, at no charge, until someone told me I needed to be charging. So, in 2002, I invested in a nice camera and got my business license, truly not knowing a thing about a career in photography. And, of course, just about the time I was figuring it all out, the industry flip-flopped and film became digital. For all film photographers, young and old, it was a big adjustment. We went from using a loop with our proof sheets to the computer. Learning photoshop was mandatory and difficult. Our pixels and storage cards were small and expensive and needed updating every year. But we all persevered and today, film is either archaic or an art form. I’ll never regret learning the art of photography with film. You learn to see light (cause it can’t always be fixed) and you learn to be deliberate with your shots (cause we didn’t have 1000 images to waste) and you learn how to manually adjust your camera to the situation at hand. So, nothing lost.
Since then, my career has taken many different turns. Today, I am mostly a People Photographer which includes portraits, lifestyle, travel and action shots. I spent many years shooting sports… everything from Little League to World Cup Ski Racing and the Tour de France. I’ve shot travel work all over the world, which has completely informed my view of humanity. But, the bread and butter of my business has been portrait photography… family portraits, children, lifestyle work and people — doing whatever it is they do. My goal is to capture the spirit of who a person is, through what they love to do.
And that takes me to most of my current work. In 2018, I moved part-time to Los Barilles, BCS, Mexico. And I am spending more time there now. I photograph the local people, the tourists, the sports, the businesses, the celebrations and whatever else comes along. And I love it. It feels real.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Smooth road? Has anyone ever had a smooth road in their career? Not many, I assume.
I’ve gone from working out of my living room, to an office over the garage, to actually investing in buying a building to house my business with a full shooting studio, meeting room, office for both me and my assistant and a work-room. When Travel Photography became more of my focus, I sold the studio and worked mostly out of my home and traveling. The majority of my international work was in Europe but I also shot in the Middle East, SE Asia, and South America.
Photography is not a great business to choose to get rich. You can make money, especially if you focus on Commercial Photography or Weddings (high-end ones). I have done my fair share of both, but my passions lie elsewhere so, that’s the direction I went. And no regrets… just a smaller bank account.
Ultimately, I feel very fortunate to have a career that usually makes people smile. I love it when my clients look at their images and get excited… I want them to look good and feel good. That’s the goal. That’s the joy.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
It always make me the happiest when someone looks at a photo I took of them — a portrait, an action shot, a candid — and smiles, and loves it and wants it printed. That is the reason for what I do.
The most exciting things I ever shot were: World Cup Downhill Ski Racing, the Tour de France, and College Football. Shooting from an ice-injected crazy-steep slope on a world cup downhill race course, or shooting from a team car following a racer in the Tour de France, or running up and down the sidelines of a football game … is exhilarating. The excitement of the moment is indescribable. And, these are very male-dominated arenas; so often being the lone female was extremely fun!
And what am I proud of? I have recently done a lot of pro-bono work for various organizations in Mexico. I have been shooting for an orphanage in Mexico for the last several years, helping the children get recognition and support. I try to hop in and shoot charity events for increased recognition. And I donate prints to multiple groups who need help with fundraising. At this point in my career, I’m honored to use my skills to help others reach their goals.
What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
I moved to SLC at age 8, so I feel like I grew up there. I attended East High School. I love the community feel of SLC. I love the incredible world-class outdoor spaces. I love the access to skiing. We have a top-rated airport which is so easy to get to and has direct flights all over the world. I love the progressive nature of Salt Lake City and that even though we do not always succeed, there is a strong effort to make life better for everyone and include our marginalized groups. I hope we continue to promote peace, diversity and efforts for economic equality and equal rights.
I truly think SLC is a great place to live, to work and to grow up. I’ve done all of those. I guess the negative would be that it can feel insular and isolated and as a result, tend to be ‘small-town minded’ if that makes sense. SLC can feel backward at times when compared to bigger metropolitan areas in the USA. We can get stuck in an old cultural mentality and I think there is more to this complex world. Often things are slow to progress in Salt Lake. I’d like to see more diversity and expansive thought. But all in all, it’s a place I’m very proud to call home.
Pricing:
- upper/moderate pricing schedule
- varies for different products
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.julieshipman.com
- Instagram: @julieship
- Facebook: julie mcmahan shipman julie shipman photography
- Twitter: @julieshipman
