Woman at a bus stop next to a doll wearing funny looking extravagant glasses photographed by Julie Grace Immink photography
Julie Grace Immink (USA) – Contemporary Photographer – www.juliegracephotography.com

 

“Asking to enter a stranger’s world seems less odd when you have a camera.” Julie Grace Immink Photography

 

Julie Grace Immink (born 1979)  is a photographer currently based in Los Angeles, California (USA). She studied photography at “The Art Institute of Philadelphia”. For Julie Grace Immink photography is a passport to unknown world’s she would have otherwise not been able to explore.

Artist statement: Julie Grace Immink is a social documentary photographer living in Los Angeles. Exploring the streets with her camera is how she connects to the surrounding world. Her photographs are saturated with thoughts on life, death, faith and community.

She gains inspiration from anything old and broken but believes in healing and restoration.

 

Julie Grace Immink, why did you become a photographer?

For the access and adventurous opportunities it brought me. One of my first photo essays was on portraits of my neighbors in their homes. The camera gave me a right of passage into their lives that would have been denied otherwise. Asking to enter a stranger’s world seems less odd when you have a camera.

What does photography mean to you?

Photography is my serenity, without it I might go bananas.

How would you describe your photographic language and creative process? How do you plan and execute a project? Both technically and conceptually?

“I photograph situations I may never see again.”

Photography is a language and I use it to communicate with strangers and strange places. My work is very personal so there are pieces of me in every image. I photograph situations I may never see again. However, that moment of connection between the subject and I, presents itself in my work.

 

More images from Julie Grace Immink Photography

 

A muscled man in a bathing suite in the colors of the US flag showing off his muscles photographed by Julie Grace Immink
Julie Grace Immink (USA) – Contemporary Photographer – www.juliegracephotography.com

 

Which photographer has inspired you most?

Mary Ellen Mark has always been an inspiration. When I was a teenager I saw her American Odyssey exhibition at The Philadelphia Museum of Art. I had always longed for my own photographic crusade or odyssey.

That exhibit solidified the idea that was already in my mind. This summer I worked with Mary Ellen Mark during one of her photography workshops. She told me I have an excellent whimsical street eye!

What’s your favorite inspirational quote about photography?

“The camera is an excuse to be someplace you otherwise don’t belong. It gives me both a point of connection and a point of separation.” Susan Meiselas

What’s your favorite website about photography?

I spend every morning drinking coffee and looking online at photography.

However, I can’t say that I have a favorite site.

 

Picture of an empty waiting room with flower wall-paper and empty chairs taken by Julie Grace Immink photography
Julie Grace Immink (USA) – Contemporary Photographer – www.juliegracephotography.com

 

What kind of camera and equipment do you use?

Mostly I use my Canon 60D. My first camera, which I still use twenty years later, is a Minolta 35mm film camera. I experiment with my Holga and vintage Polaroid’s too.

What book about photography would you recommend?

“Street Photographer” or “Out of the Shadows” by Vivian Maier. She is a true artist with a vision. You can learn and gain inspiration from her work.

Which advice would you give someone who wants to get started with photography?

“Get a feel for what your voice is speaking through the lens.”

Try and take an aesthetically pleasing photograph every day for a year. Publish the images onto a blog to use social media to promote the project. This will challenge you to find beauty in the ordinary everywhere you go.

When the year is over, edit the images and get a feel for what your voice is speaking through the lens.

 

More information about photographer Julie Grace Immink

 

Official homepage “Julie Grace Immink Photography”: www.juliegracephotography.com

 

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