The Sunday interview: 5 questions for Juliette

Today I will present Juliette the author of The Additional F-Stop. Juliette is an artist in perpetual training.

1. Why photography?

The answer is in my history with cameras. I held my first Kodak Instamatic when I was a child and carried it around without any film in it, pretending to shoot. My first photos were snapshots on disposable cameras, my first digital photos were on a Sony Mavica using floppy disks, and my first print in the darkroom convinced me that photography is magical. That time in the darkroom took my love of cameras into a love of light and encouraged me to get better at finding it. In the end though, it's not just about photography. I'm a polygamist artist. Though I'm married to writing, the love of my life is music, and I having an affair with cameras for years. I still can't let go of any of them!

2. What is your favourite gear? (camera, lens)

I love all my children equally! I own a ridiculous amount of both film and digital cameras. I think they are beautiful and a joy to look at! My Pentax 67 with a 75mm lens and Rolleiflex are my favorite film cameras, but they are not my first choice on the go. For that, my Olympus XA1 is in my purse. As of late, my favorite digital camera is the Nikon Zf with a 50mm 1.8 S line. I never thought I'd move to full frame but it drew me in and I sold other digital cameras I owned because the Zf not only brought me back to Nikon from my earlier days, but the overall experience just blew me away. When I'm not shooting the Zf, if want to go lighter on the digital side, I'll either pick up the Panasonic GX9 with a 15mm f/1.7 or the Fuji X-E2 with a 27mm f/2.8. I used a Ricoh GR for many years but got tired of the dust issues, battery drain, and the fixed lens.

3. What are your favourite subjects to photograph?

I have called myself a street photographer for many years, until recently. I think people are fascinating and I photograph them as a way of connection and expression, as life unfolds in the moment. I am especially drawn to the nuances in the interpretation of human expression together. When coupled with symbolism, I love how each can enhance a photograph. In recent years, though, I've scaled back on my time with street and I've been going back to a subject that I was drawn to from the beginning - nature. Perhaps it's my way of moving away from relationships with people and towards my relationship with the natural world and animals.

4. Can you name a few of your favourite photographers?

Without a doubt, Vivian Maier to start. It is amazing how she mastered photography and never profited a dime while she was alive. Had it not been for John Maloof, her photos likely would have been destroyed. Her ability to treat everyone equally with her camera - both the marginalized and the rich was admirable. There is a quality about some of her work though that some consider voyeuristic while others call it intimate. Regardless, her work was fascinating to me. I also deeply admire Henri Cartier Bresson, Martin Parr and Harry Callahan, each for different reasons entirely.

5. What can Substack community expect from you/your publication in the future?

I started Substack after almost a year of hesitation and like a lot of others, I was frustrated with social media. My hesitation though was just about not being ready. I wanted to find a way to share my process of personal growth through art. Then one day, I followed a link that led me to Susanne Helmert's Substack and felt this wave of comfort. I felt I had landed! I will forever be grateful to Susanne for supporting me the first week of publishing. As far as what to expect, I'll continue sharing my experiences in the form of photo essays, personal projects, and visual diaries called “light bulb moments”. I have been working on a larger project for a while though, in the form of a book, and intend to share more about that later this year.