Julie GLASSBERG
Photographer

Julie is photographing the talents supported by Porosus in November 2021.

What is your artistic background?
The first time I set foot in a darkroom, I was a kid. It was during an astronomy camp. We took a picture of Saturn through the telescope, and then we were able to develop the image in the darkroom. The red light, the baths that made the image appear: I was immediately absorbed by the magic. Later, I spent a few years at an American high school in Virginia, in the southern United States, where I took a photography course and was immediately hooked. After four years of studying graphic design and visual communication in Paris, I went to San Francisco for two months alone, then I took a three-week solo road trip through America. During this trip, I met artists and mentors who gave me the courage to launch myself as a professional photographer. I left for New York to attend the documentary photography and photojournalism program at the International Center of Photography. After several assistant jobs and an internship at the New York Times, it was in the city that my professional life began. After seven years of living in New York, I went to Japan for a new experience, on a working holiday visa. There I met many local artists and experimented with photography. After my stay in Japan, I spent six months in Shanghai, China, on an artist residency organised by Swatch, before returning to Paris where I currently live.

How do you see your profession today?
At a time when everyone is taking pictures in such a simple and accessible way, it is important to reposition and adapt as a professional photographer. Just as painting didn't disappear when photography appeared, I don't think that this digital and omnipresent photography will make our profession disappear. However, it does require adaptation. We must redefine professional photography, and push it to its limits, go beyond them, revolutionise its use and its mode of distribution. Some media will disappear to make room for others. It is also necessary to educate people about the image and its use. This will allow a better understanding of photography and a respect for the photographer's work in a society where images are omnipresent. It's always a bit worrying when an era ends, but there's also a real excitement about all the new possibilities that will come our way.

How do you see yourself in five years? in 10 years?
I hope, in five or 10 years, to have found a real balance between commissioned work and personal work. And that the two are not radically different, either. Ideally, I will only work with people who respect the profession of photography, have a similar ethic, and share similar values to me. That way we can dream together about the visual and conceptual direction before we make it happen. As a documentary or photojournalist is a very solitary profession, I would also like to do more interdisciplinary collaborations. I like teamwork to achieve a result of common interest. It also allows you to leave your comfort zone and discover new worlds. From a photographic point of view, I also expect to learn a lot more by then. I appreciate the constant learning (in light, technique, art direction, theory, etc.), as well as the extremely diverse encounters that allow me to discover very different philosophies and ways of life.

This interview was conducted in 2021
Photography credit: Julie Glassberg