| November 18, 2013 |

SPOTLIGHT FOR

INSPIRATION Our Weekly [fa] Photography Spotlight for

Inspiration is all about talent, inspiration, success, camaraderie and collaboration. Artistic success

and appreciation is built upon networks of like-minded people and our team of artists here will inspire you for days.

If you have not taken the time to peruse our membership list, I think you will be shocked to see who you are rubbing elbows with. Some of the most amazing up and coming artists in the industry and they are all a part of this team! Each

week we sit down with one of them and find out about them, what they are doing,

what keeps them motivated and pull from them inspiration for us all. We will be covering

artists at every level and every style. There is no requirement for this spotlight except a passion for your craft. Read on… network, be inspired and shoot your dreams!

JULIE BELTON

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Julie Belton Fine Art Photographer

Have you ever sat down with someone and everything they said you wanted to say “Me too!” That is what my chat was like with the talented and very inspirational Julie Belton. We talked

about how her life has come full circle (literally) and before this chat is finished she gifts us all inspiration that will be music to the ears!

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Caroline: I followed your blog all the way back to its beginnings, in 2010, and I noticed you put yourself out there by posting a bucket list of life? Most people start their photographic blog/journey with images. But you started your photographic journey with your own experiences? Tell me how you began?

Julie: I first “noticed” photography as an art form in 2010, when I was searching for a photographer

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for my wedding. I was so amazed at the images I was seeing on their websites, and became curious as to HOW they did that. My curiosity turned into purchasing my first DSLR, which I quickly learned wasn’t the only thing I needed to produce images like what I saw. I had NO idea what I was doing, so I shot everything! I started documenting my images along the way in my bucket list (which I nick-named my “life list”). At that time, I didn’t have any clients, but I wanted to share my pictures with the

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world and start documenting my growth as a photographer.

Caroline: On your website you talk about a pivotal moment for you in your photography and a person following your blog can SEE your work shift topic and style... What was the “Ah-Ha” moment that changed your coarse from traditional photography into Fine Art Photography?

Julie: I had a feeling you were going to ask me that question. I mentioned that pivotal moment, as a whisper, knowing it was going to be brought up eventually. But it was/is a huge life change for me. I'm getting a divorce. For months after my separation, I was very confused, and introverted, which if you ask all my family and friends, is not like me at all. I left my home in Arizona and moved back to NJ to start my life over again. The LAST thing I was concerned about was picking up my camera. I was worried about where I was going to live, where I was going to work, and just getting back on my feet. I was lost. When I did find the energy to go out an shoot, I had NO inspiration and I didn’t have it in my heart to start my business over again in my new town. So my camera collected

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dust. That was, until I was selected to be in the studio audience of Brooke’s Creative Live class, the second pivotal moment in my life change. (In that class) I learned how to take my emotions, map out my feelings, and turn them into art. I look at life with new eyes now! I’ve never been happier. I create art for myself, and nobody else. People like it, they love it, they hate it... either way, I just smile… it’s mine and it’s me.

Caroline: So it sounds like you always followed fine art photography, even when you put down your camera? Do you have a background in the arts?

Julie: I don’t actually but both of my parents are artists. Both are painters: one on canvas and one on wood. I was the singer and dancer in the family. I can't draw a stick figure!

Caroline: Who first introduced you to conceptual photography? How were you introduced to Brooke's work?

Julie: I can't say for sure. I took a LOT of creative live classes, so I was always being introduced to new photographers. I remember I spent a lot of time trying to "classify" myself. I would watch a class by Jasmine Star and say, “Oh, I want to be a wedding photographer!” and then after Tamara Lackey's class, “No! No! Children and families are what I want to photograph.” I did the same with Crista Meola and Sue Bryce! Each time (I watched another photographer) I would change my logo, edit my website and reinvent myself. I was never truly happy shooting

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any of it! (Although Boudoir is very fun.) I have no idea how I stumbled across Brooke (Shaden’s) work, but I remember thinking, “WOW! None of the above! This is actually art!” When people looked at my images before they would say, "Oh! She is so beautiful!” or “OH! That baby is so cute!” I became frustrated because I felt like "the audience" was seeing past the pose, the edits and the lighting… (I felt they were) not appreciating the artistry of the image.

Caroline: In a day when everybody is doing exactly what you just described, struggling to find his or her place in photography, what advice would you give someone still on that journey? How did you know when you “hit it” and your search was over?

Julie: (I realized) Photography doesn't have to be a business! It can be a hobby and still be a life passion. I see it all day, everyday… People feel they need to make money from doing something they love, but it doesn't have to be that way. You know when you've “hit it” when your heart starts beating a little faster when you pick up

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your camera to go shoot. You'll know. Because you just sat in Photoshop editing your image for 5 hours, and it felt like 5 minutes.

Caroline: Even though you reinvented yourself, re-did your websites and changed styles of photography, you never started over on your blog. It is all still there and you encourage your fans to go back and see your journey. How did that journey help define your artwork?

Julie: Oh! I haven't defined myself yet! I am still working on that. That's the fun part. Nobody puts baby in a corner! My blog and website might have changed colors and styles, but it is still all about me and my journey.

Caroline: As I was looking at your fine art portfolio I noticed, in the beginning, there were some landscapes in your folio. But they are so emotional to look at! I personally can see REAL emotion in even your landscapes? Where does that come from? Where do you get your inspiration?

Julie: It's funny that you see

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that. All of those images where taken when I was out looking for inspiration. I would get in my car with a hot coffee, my Dave Matthews band cued up in my iPod, and go out looking for

something to inspire me. I would practice my Photoshop techniques on these images to create a final image to reflect whatever mood I was feeling that day. One image in particular called "New York" has a very interesting story. I was on a photo-walk with 100+ photographers on the highline in NY. It was dark out, so not many good shots came from that day. I stopped to practice (capturing) a slow shutter shot of the cars driving by. Everyone kept walking, but I was determined to get this shot. The next night I went for a walk with my Dad after dinner. He said, “Let me show you the Brownstone we lived in when you were born.” I was so

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excited to see it. Then when I looked up, and noticed the highline the next block over I realized that the night before I was taking a picture of MY street. The street where I started my life! It was

surreal

Caroline: So your life really did come full circle in a camera! That IS surreal! And the images really do capture your moods. You can see it. Wow! So what do you consider to be your first fine art image? The one where you were inspired and decided, "This is it. I’m jumping in. Sink or swim. I’m doing one just for me

Julie: That would be my very first self-portrait called,

"The Night". After I returned home from Brooke (Shaden’s) workshop I was dying to create. But had one problem. No one to shoot. So there I was again, dusty camera, and a bunch of these ideas. So I decided if I was going to create it would have to be me in front of the camera. I was petrified!!! But then I discovered the liquefy tool and everything was all right.

Caroline: Who (or what) would you consider to be your biggest influence in your work? When you are stuck but want to create, where do you go? How do you get those creative juices flowing? (By the way I LOVE the liquefy tool. LOL! Women around the world

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sing the praises of the liquefy tool. LOL!)

Julie: Music! It’s where I get 99% of my ideas and inspiration. Whether it be the lyrics, the melody, the base line or a single phrase. I can pull images for almost any song. Now, that being said, I do listen to a LOT of sad love songs. And more than that I have over 80 Dave Matthews Band songs downloaded on my iPod. My routine is to open my “Evernote” Application on my MAC and open Spotify (my music sharing site). I have an inspiration notebook in “Evernote” where I will create notes on songs that I am listening to. I then go in and add more detail to them when I am planning out a shoot. I plan out the color, wardrobe, location, prop, pose, and write the storyline. I get very detailed (in my planning). Then I go out to shoot (the image). I do this every time, even when I'm out and I shoot a random image. I can't begin to edit it until all this is done. It helps me visualize the final image.

Caroline: So it is, “Every rose has its thorn. Every image has a song?”

Julie: Exactly! Even “Row, Row, Row your boat!”

Caroline: That is an amazing and unique approach to inspiration. I have met and talked with many artists and I am always fascinated to find out about their creative process. How did you find out your “go-to” for creativity was music?

Julie: Music has always been a big part of my life and my

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family’s life. Taking road trips to Vermont and upstate New York when I was a kid. I would be singing Motown and Jazz with my Dad, Mom and Sister. Sometimes I sing songs at the top of my lungs and I don't even know the words. The singer/songwriters are telling us their stories in words, and I just see it in my minds eye. Its just there (in my head). Now I feel compelled to do a “Row Your Boat” image!

Caroline: You are such an inspiration in how open you are about your work and your journey. You mentioned that you are only doing fine art photography for yourself now and not as a full-time business. How are you balancing your everyday, "pay the bills" work with the time needed to build your fine art portfolio?

Julie: Thank you!!! Well first off, I love my job. Going to work everyday doesn't feel like a chore, so I am blessed with that. Since I am in the situation I’m in (with the divorce), I don't have kids to entertain on the weekends or have to be on anyone else's clock. When I am not working my 9-5 the rest of the time is for me. I plan my shoots during the week and will normally shoot on Saturdays. Sundays are reserved for editing and football (not necessarily in that order). On top of that, I don't have a dead-lines for my images. I don’t have clients telling me they need images by a certain day and no pressure to feel like I have to build my portfolio really fast. I am learning every step of the way. So I take my time. Learn something new, try it out and see if it works, and then try something else.

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Caroline: So you really are taking your time. Trying out new things, nailing it one image at time? Are you really that calm about it? You don't feel the pull of, "I have got to pump images out! I have to have so many pieces by so-in-so date and I need to submit to this many galleries by that date". I don't hear any of that from you. How do you keep your head above the fray and stay so calm and grounded? Where did you get your magic bubble and where can I find one? LOL!

Julie: You can share my bubble! HA! Trust me. I wasn't always in (that magic bubble). I was that person who was marketing, advertising and saying, “Book now for this low, low price!” It has taken me a long time to get here. The past year and a half of my life! What a whirl-wind! I've finally found what makes me happy so I'm sticking with that. I do have a dream of being in a gallery one day, but I haven't submitted any images yet. For now, I'm just creating and seeing how many likes I get on Facebook. I'm not out planning my life for the next 15 years, I'm just loving today. And tomorrow, hopefully, there is another one for me to love.

Caroline: I SO HATE that we are out of time! I enjoyed our little chat. Just one more question… Now that you have found your love and your home in Fine Art Photography, what could you tell up and coming photographers that would help them find their home? What do you wish someone else has said to you, when you were still looking

Julie: Shut out the noise of the world and listen to your heart. Be still and open yourself to see what is inside. Show your true colors, and don't apologize if your socks don't match.

A Gift of inspiration for you… With each F.A.P Spotlight look for a link to a tutorial, texture, preset,

tip or stock image! Or in THIS case how about a little inspirational music?

Julie’s gift is her carefully curated Spotify Playlist! Created just for this [fa] Photography Team!

To Check out Julie's playlist:

Step 1: Join spotify here https://www.spotify.com/us/ Step 2: Find the playlist here. Search for [fa] Photographers or copy and paste this link…

http://open.spotify.com/user/1290381122/playlist/7L8dGi2EBrmT252wcbafa6

Step 3: click the "Follow" button Step 4: Listen and be inspired!

Julie’s 411 Website: www.juliebelton.com

Facebook: facbook.com/juliebeltonphotography Flickr: Juliebeltonart http://www.flickr.com/photos/55419192@N08/ Twitter: JulieBeltonArt Instagram: JulieBeltonArt 500px: http://500px.com/JulieBeltonArt

[fa] Photography Spotlight for Inspiration: Julie Belton November 18, 2013