Interview
Juls Jay
Juls is a photographer from Copenhagen, Denmark. She shoots portraits, fashion, personal assignments, fine art self portraits. Her approach to any assignment is to create images, combining it with a dynamic, elegant feel. She also works with professional hair and make up artists and stylists in order to create fresh looks either for modeling portfolios, publications, or personal and professional portraits. She studied photography at the School of Photography and Graphic Design under the eye of co-founder Marian Schmidt, and under the eye of master of polaroid Greg Ostrowski, both as a photo model and an apprentice.
What is your background and how did you start your journey in the art world?
“I live and work in Copenhagen, Denmark. Copenhagen is my home by all descriptive means. I'm not sure how it all started. My mum gave me a 35mm full frame camera when I was little. I was taking pictures of my goat in the country side. The camera had no film and I have no idea what model it was. Perhaps a Nikon. But that's not one of those stories where you get your camera at age 6 and you know this is it. Not even close. I think my mum gave the camera to keep me entertained, but that is the earliest memory I have. It wasn't until the last year of high school that I had to chose some sort of further education. I chose photography because I really didn't know what I wanted to do in life yet and quantum physics or rocket science was not my thing. I found myself attending European Academy of Photography, later known as Warsaw School of Photography and Graphic Design by Phd Marian Schmidt. During this time, I was also an apprentice and model of master of polaroid himself Greg Ostrovski. I am grateful and extremely honored to have met such incredible photographers in my life. After couple of years I left to study communication in USA. My photo journey ended in a way, narrowing my work down to wedding photography (mainly on Nantucket, MA). I came back here after nearly a decade in USA, got a job in Marketing, ended my marriage, left marketing at the same time and started to photograph again. It is the best decision I have made.”
What inspires you?
“People, situations, pain, happiness, all emotions. And of course, work of others as well such as other photographers, sculptors, stories of people, my story.”
What themes do you pursue? Is there an underlying message in your work?
“I am an absolute Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. Dr Jeckyll photographs models, fashion, clean images. He experiments with lights and beauty at any age. He photographs weddings, music concerts, dancers, portraiture. Mr Hyde is darker. He takes self portraits. Not all self portraits tell sad stories, but every image is inspired by something authentic, whether is is a painting, other cultures, murder or suicide. Mr Hyde is faceless. I don't think send a message via my work. I execute an image idea i have in my head. But I love a healthy debate on art, I like when people feel emotions associated with my work. Regardless, on the theme.”
“Everyone has a different opinion about art, but art should be expressed by artists as it is.”
How would you describe your work?
“Authentic.”
Which artists influence you most?
“Nobuyoshi Araki - he is fearless in his work. Reminds me that I should be fearless as well. Because it doesn't matter what people think of my work in the end. Everyone has a different opinion about art, but art should be expressed by artists as it is. Helmut Newton - fashion photography would not exist without him. People say he objectifies women. I think he shows them strong, beautiful, shows their power in sexuality. There is nothing more beautiful in this world than a woman.”
What is your creative process like?
“It depends what I photograph. If portraiture and fashion, I like to focus on one thing at a time. It takes a lot of planning, clothing, hair and make up, I usually do a test run on lights days before we shoot. I shop a lot on flea markets, I always like to be prepared, have items to use in case of emergency. Improvisation is almost always happening. I draw light setup in paper, I write setups and ideas on paper or in my phone so I don't forget them. Self portraiture is a little different process. I write down some ideas, but I photograph when I know all my family is out and no one is to disturb me. That can be tricky so I use the time wisely when I have it. I'm definitely in favour of photoshop. That is also part of my creative process. It gives so many possibilities to edit photos and create images as intended, especially when I work with limited space and time.”
What is an artist’s role in society and how do you see that evolving?
“Artists will always trigger public's emotions. Creative expression is vital to a healthy and open-minded society. Our role is crucial. Influenced by others, we can inspire future generations and bring people together. Art is also a crucial form of expression of those who have a hard time expressing their feelings. I think we live in one of the best times now. I don't know how will art evolve in 100 years from now, but today we have access to so many tools whether it is drawing, painting, film cameras, digital cameras, possibilities are endless. We have access to online galleries thanks to technology, so art can be accessible to all people equally. As a huge technology fan, I'm absolutely happy to see that art is not only available to a chosen group of people.”
