Today we’d like to introduce you to Julia Dean.
Julia, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
My story starts in a town of 3,500 people called Broken Bow, Nebraska, where I was born and raised.
From there, I moved 38 times over 50 years, earned two college degrees, traveled to 45 states and 40 countries as a journalist, and taught photography to hundreds of students. I am a photographer. Writer. And teacher.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Success means something different to everyone, but no form of success comes without taking risks. I have taken many risks and many roads. Some were bumpy, some were not.
I think there are three things that can help make a person happy — passion, lifestyle, and money. Passion has kept me going for decades, despite the obstacles. My lifestyle has suited me well, at times even provided me with months off in a stretch to travel. Money, I’ve had to raise, which hasn’t been easy. But passion always carries me through. I surround myself with talented, dedicated, loyal friends who help me make things happen.
Currently, I am writing my memoir, titled: Racing for Life, A Photographer’s Journey. This is where you’ll read about all my challenges in life!
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Prior to moving to Los Angeles, I spent a decade teaching photography at the college level and at the well-known photo workshops and working as a freelance photojournalist in developing nations around the globe. My goal has always been to make a difference in the world and in people’s lives.
I moved to Venice Beach in 1994 and taught parttime at various colleges for a few years, plus taught photo workshops out of my lofts.
In 1999, I launched The Julia Dean Photo Workshops on Ocean Front Walk in Venice, which 14 years later I transformed into a non-profit called the Los Angeles Center of Photography (LACP). It has been my pleasure all these years not only to build a community but also to provide a multitude of opportunities for photographers. After 22-1/2 years as founder and executive director, I am no longer with LACP but rather have started a new venture called The L.A. Project.
The L.A. Project is an umbrella for everything I create and offer, which currently includes a street photography collective called Street L.A., my documentary project and street photography classes, and a large outdoor event called Projecting L.A..
My classes vary in length, from a weekend workshop to an eight-month class. The Street L.A. Collective meets every week to shoot. Details can be found here: www.juliadean.com/
Projecting L.A. is a groundbreaking and breathtaking display of photography which takes places in a DTLA, football-field-sized parking lot. Photographs set to music are projected on a wall 80 feet wide and three stories high. Consisting of cutting-edge street photography, arresting documentary projects about L.A.’s diverse communities, and current news photography all curated by a selection committee, Projecting L.A. is a singular art experience. This opportunity is open to all photographers.
The first event was held in October of 2022, with 35 photographers involved. The next is scheduled for April 27, 2024, with plans to extend that and future events to additional locations with direct viewer engagement with photographers.
To take part in this extraordinary event, please see www.thelaproject.org to learn how to submit work for the next Projecting L.A. The deadline for submitting street, documentary, or news photographs is Nov. 14, 2023.
We are proud to be a fiscally-sponsored project of Creative Visions Foundation, founded by Kathy Eldon. We are currently in the fundraising process from institutions and private individuals. All donations are tax-deductible.
To donate see: https://creative-visions.
How do you think about luck?
Like many fathers, probably, mine told me I was born under a lucky star, and I believed him. Regardless of the truth of that claim, luck has rolled my way because of the relationships I’ve built and the people I know. My luck comes from having friends who want to help me make things happen. Luck was also certainly with me, too, during all my solo travels around the world on very little money. I always made it home in one piece and with all my gear.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.juliadean.com
- Instagram: juliadean-la-streetshooter
- Facebook: Facebook.com/juliadean.376
- Twitter: @lastreetshooter
Image Credits
All (7) DTLA street photos by Julia Dean Photo of Julia Dean taking pictures on the street by Daniel Sackheim Photo of PROJECTING L.A. event by Alon Goldsmith
