Today we’d like to introduce you to Julia Kuzmenko McKim
Hi Julia, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
As an inspired beauty photographer and retouching artist in Los Angeles, I quickly realized that for the type of work that I truly enjoy I needed a controlled environment. Indoors, in a studio, my creative team could prepare and re-do models’ makeup and hair – the makeup would not melt in the sun, and the hair would not get messed up by the wind.
Artists often admit that we’re lousy entrepreneurial minds, and leasing a commercial property to use as a photography studio is not something that many decide to go after.
I took my time, just paying attention to real estate signs while driving around the valley for some time, eventually finding a place that was literally minutes away from my home in Sherman Oaks. Long story short, I was soon settling in a wonderful little place on Woodman Avenue with a large gated parking lot in the back and two large rooms for my studio and office.
I truly enjoyed furnishing and decorating the space, and so many wonderful creatives noted how cozy and inspiring the space turned out.
This little beauty photography studio hosted hundreds of creative and commercial shoots by major beauty brands like Pat McGrath’s Labs, Sunday Riley, Neutrogena, and celebrities such as Ireland Basinger Baldwin, Rob Schneider, a famous beauty influencer Tati Westbrook (GlamLifeGuru) and many more.
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?
The journey for small business owners is never bumpless. From old plumbing and overflowing toilets to break-ins, and months of inability to create any revenue while having to pay rent and utilities during brutal lockdowns.
We all complain to our spouses and friends but continue grinding, hoping for a better future and working hard to get there.
Isn’t that just human nature?!
“A warrior cannot complain or regret anything. His life is an endless challenge, and challenges cannot possibly be good or bad. Challenges are simply challenges.”
― Carlos Castaneda
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am a beauty photographer and retouching artist. I have been working with large cosmetics and lifestyle brands for the past decade. It took a lot of unpaid practice where my creative team (makeup artists, hair stylists, and models) and I invested a lot of time, hard work and funds to hone our skills and perfect our work to the point that we began booking commercial work.
Every time I walked into a Sephora, I was not looking at products for my face or hair, but at the imagery that was gracing the gondolas. “I can do this!” I thought to myself, and then I tried to shoot and retouch better and better until it was my work that I was walking into Sephoras to look at 🙂
I am the type of person who thrives by raising the bar for myself. When things become too repetitive and easy, I lose interest.
Right now I am learning all things cinematography and writing. I truly enjoy documentaries that tell a great story while the visual part is eye candy.
Progressing with mastering a new skill while still being 100% busy with your current business is not easy and the slow pace can be very frustrating at times. But I always remind myself that I’ve been through this phase before and the only thing I must do is persevere.
What do you like and dislike about the city?
I see Los Angeles as a hub of probably the most creative people in the world. The place lives and breathes with creativity and making real tangible things out of ideas.
You can feel it when walking up to a coffee shop in Studio City early in the morning and seeing people punching away on their laptops, glued to the screens, visibly absent from this physical world, basking in a flow state, imagining, creating…
You can hear it when passing by hikers in Griffith Park passionately discussing a new film production.
It’s everywhere, it inspires and keeps your creative juices flowing.
I only wish the city would be taken care of more by the authorities.
Pricing:
- $8000 – a large beauty brand shoot
- $5000 – smaller production
- $3000 – celebrity, influencer beauty shoot
Contact Info:
- Website: https://juliakuzmenko.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/juliakuzmenko/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JuliaKuzmenkoPhotography/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@julia_kuzmenko
- Other: https://www.threads.net/@juliakuzmenko
Image Credits
Copyright, Photography & Retouching by me, Julia Kuzmenko McKim
