David Julian | Instructor, Winter & Spring
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 for clients worldwide. His photographs and illustrations appear in publications including Nikon World, Outside, NY Times, The Baltimore Sun, LA Times, National Geographic Traveler, Outdoor Photographer, Orion, PRINT, Rangefinder and Islands. He has appeared on many episodes of Hit The Streets and in other podcasts on the arts.
Since 2001, Dave has instructed photography with the prestigious Santa Fe Workshop, Maine Media Workshops, Vancouver Photo Workshops, The Lepp Institute, The Anderson Ranch and at-sea adventures with UnCruise. Dave leads his own annual cultural travel photography workshops in the US, Mexico, Europe, India, Vietnam and annually in Cuba.
He is an adjunct instructor at University of Washington and Seattle Central College’s Creative Academy. Dave consults with product developers that include Adobe, Apple, Wacom, Fujifilm, Topaz Labs, DXO and Lowepro. He is a member of the Fujifilm X/GFX CREATORS pro photographer team. Dave has a passion for inspiring and guiding emerging and advanced photographers to understand the nature of light, to discover their unique personal vision and to reach new creative goals.
About this Work:
During the pandemic I bought a vintage Volkswagen camper van and fully restored and outfitted it for adventure travels and photography.
I now set out on periodic road trips to immerse into new photography and travel adventures. I can plan my route, and I can plan for advantageous light, but I can never plan for serendipitous discoveries that happen along the way. Each road trip has reinforced the notion that being open and prepared without expectation is the key to reward.
This photograph was made along the Oregon coast where I camped near sand dunes and awoke at dawn surrounded by a rolling morning fog— perhaps my favorite weather condition. When shooting landscapes, I search for an ideal background composition and like to have something or someone add the story elements to the image.
I was photographing first light in the dunes against the gentle waves when I heard ducks heading overhead across the dunes towards an inland marsh. Running as fast as I could back towards the access road that divided the dunes from the marsh, I grabbed my second camera body fitted with a 100-400 lens from the van, and captured this group of ducks as they headed south through the rising fog.
My adrenaline-fueled adventure felt exhilarating and also reminded me that the best photos may be the ones behind you, and that being alert with camera ready is the only way to capture them.
