Dave Julian | Instructor, Winter & Spring quarters
About this Artist:
Dave’s career began in the natural sciences prior to earning a BFA with honors in Communications Design from Pratt Institute in NY. His four decade career has included corporate art direction, design, assemblage, photographic illustration and photography. His photographs and illustrations appear in publications including Nikon World, Outside, NY Times, The Baltimore Sun, LA Times, National Geographic Traveler, Outdoor Photographer, Orion, Rangefinder and Islands. He has collaborated in ten episodes of the podcast “Hit The Streets” and in other podcasts on the arts.
Since 2001, Dave has instructed photography with the Santa Fe Workshop, Maine Media Workshops, Vancouver Photo Workshops, Lepp Institute, The Anderson Ranch and at sea with UnCruise. He often leads his own annual cultural travel and photography workshops in the Western US, Mexico, Cuba, Europe, India and soon in Asia.
He is an adjunct instructor at University of Washington and Seattle Central College’s Creative Academy and consults with product developers including Adobe, Apple, Wacom, Fujifilm, Topaz Labs and Lowepro. He is a member of the Fujifilm X/GFX CREATORS pro photographer team.
Dave has a passion for inspiring and guiding emerging photographers to understand the nature of light, discover their unique personal vision and to reach new creative goals.
About this Work:
I return each year to Cuba as it is one of the most unique and photogenic countries I've traveled. I temper my anticipation with the knowledge that Cubans have difficult lives, and yet they remain welcoming and generous to cultural travelers.
Prior to any of my photography workshops, I arrive days early to scout locations and connect with locals. I sink in to the rhythms and light This photograph is one of my favorite moments of wandering the back streets of Old Havana with my cameras, eyes and ears wide open to be ready for the unexpected.
On this particular morning I heard loud thumping dance music and kids shouting. I knew an ideal photo opportunity was only blocks away. As I reached the corner, I found two girls twerking in a doorway as young boys jeered and danced outside. I quickly set my camera for action and began actively shooting, moving in pantomime to the boys and the music.
The kids ran between parked cars, pretending to shoot me. I pretended to be shot, which kept them in action and gained trust. Before they eventually settled down for a requested group portrait, I captured this precise moment of multiple gestures that captures a moment in their lives on the streets of Havana. It's a timeless expression of youthful energy and exuberance that enriches my life and inspires my journeys abroad and also within.
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