Episode 014 - Julie Ulstrup

In this episode, I welcome Julie Ulstrup! She is a professional portrait photographer, currently based out of Fort Collins, Colorado. She shares her journey from her first experiences with art to doing landscape photography, and what inspires her with portrait photography now. (The episode cover image is one of her portraits, from her most recent project, 50 Over 50!) 

 

Get in touch with Julie Ulstrup: https://www.julieulstrup.com/ | https://www.facebook.com/JulieUlstrupPhotography/ | https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwcnAX2kZHvPCfQoJY75hng?reload=9&view_as=subscriber 

Artfully Told links: www.facebook.com/artfullytold | www.artfullytold.podbean.com | elevateartskc@gmail.com

Schedule your interview with Artfully Told! https://calendly.com/artfullytold/podcast-interview

Arteza: Arteza makes art supplies affordable to creators with every budget. Art is about the journey. They provide the tools – you steer the way. Click here and use promo code PB8PROMO for 8% off your entire order!

 

Intro & Outro Music Credits:

Bad Ideas (distressed) by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3412-bad-ideas-distressed-
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

 

SHOW NOTES:

Episode 014 - Julie Ulstrup

Lindsey Dinneen: Hello, and welcome to Artfully Told, where we share true stories about meaningful encounters with art.

[00:00:06] Krista: I think artists help people have different perspectives on every aspect of life.

[00:00:12] Roman: All I can do is put my part out into the world.

[00:00:15] Elizabeth: It doesn't have to be perfect the first time. It doesn't have to be perfect ever really. I mean, as long as you, you're enjoying doing it and you're trying your best, that can be good enough.

[00:00:23]Elna:  Art is something that you can experience with your senses, and that you just experiences as so beautiful.

[00:00:33] Lindsey Dinneen: Hello, and welcome back to Artfully Told. I am Lindsey. I am so excited that you are here listening, and I am very delighted to be welcoming our guest today. Her name is Julie Ulstrup and she hails from Fort Collins, Colorado, although she works all over the world and I can't wait to hear all about that. She is a portrait photographer, as well as so many other things, as so many people are multifaceted. And I cannot wait to share Julie's stories with you and also learn who she is and all that she brings to the world. So thank you so much for being here, Julie. I really appreciate it.

[00:01:14] Julie Ulstrup: Oh, I'm delighted to be here. Thank you, Lindsey, for hosting this podcast and you know, really bringing some stories about art into the world. I love it.

[00:01:25] Lindsey Dinneen: Oh, my pleasure. Well, I would love if you would take just a moment to maybe introduce yourself and share a little bit about, you know, who you are and how you've gotten involved in photography. And just a little bit about you, if that's okay.

[00:01:40] Julie Ulstrup: Yeah, that would be great. Well, like you mentioned, I am a portrait photographer and I have a portrait studio in Fort Collins, Colorado. So I, and I serve people from around the country. There are a lot of people who visit Colorado, obviously, and also around the world. I've got a full indoor studio and then this quintessential Colorado property where I have outdoor space that I can have very large groups. I, again, I do families, I do generation photography. I also do headshots and personal branding as well as high school seniors. So I think it's all the good stuff. I feel like photography is something that has, it's been part of my life really since I was born.

[00:02:34] My grandparents, my mom's family, owned the camera store before I was born. And so, and I was the oldest grandchild and I was photographed all the time. There are millions of things, probably pictures of me and then when I was in high school, I really developed this passion for photography and I loved it, went to college and I was a journalism major and took all of the photography classes that I could. And then even right after college, I worked for a very prestigious photography studio in Chicago, where I grew up. And then I decided I had to get a, like a "grownup job" and be a real grownup, do grownup things, you know, and I had done very well in photography. I worked for a photography studio in college, and this was back in the day when we took rolls of film with us and I photographed sorority and fraternity parties, but I just didn't really see it as--well, I didn't really see it as art and I also didn't really see it as a way that I could have a viable business and earn a living and have a lifestyle that I really wanted.

[00:03:53] So fast forward, 20 years later, actually maybe 30 years later. I always have loved photography. And I worked as a school counselor in a middle school, a high school and at the university level. And so really connecting with people is what I'm incredibly passionate about. You know, helping empowering people, helping people see who they are. And I realized that my love of photography and my love of really connecting with people and helping empower and inspire them could come together in a way that was really beautiful. So that's, that's the really short cliff notes version by very long photography journey that has been so incredible in my life. And. And I can't even imagine what my life would be like without it.

[00:04:58]Lindsey Dinneen: Yeah. Wonderful. Well, thank you for sharing about that. And I know that in your life that you've probably encountered many, many interesting things that are art-related that have spoken to you, but I would just love to hear--are there any particular moments that really stand out to you as being special or particularly meaningful?

[00:05:22] Julie Ulstrup: Yes. Well, like I said, I grew up in the Chicago suburbs and I had a phenomenal photography teacher. And he also taught at The Art Institute of Chicago. So every year we got--and I took every photography class that I could--every year, we got to go down to The Art Institute and, you know, walk around and see different things and do different things. Well, because he was an instructor there, we had special access to photographs that the general public did not have access to. And I will never forget one time. We went to, we were, we were down in this room, this conference room with a big table, and this was in my third year of photography. So it was all of the people who were the people who've taken photography for several years and we were passing around these photographs.

[00:06:23] I still get chills when I think of it, of, you know, it was just an incredible experience to, to see in real life, in my own hands in front of me, these photographs that I had only seen in books and really, yeah, powerful for me to be able to have that experience and realize the power of art at the time. I felt like landscape art really spoke to me. So, you know, again, some of the great landscape photographers of course, but the moment photography, just really creating that moment and finding that moment was just beautiful. So, yeah, that's a big one for me. Actually, I do have a funny story because I really thought that landscape photography was what I was super passionate about.

[00:07:18] And I went to see Tom Mandelson, who is a contemporary photographer. He's still alive. And he does a lot of photography in the mountains, in the United States, in the West. And he was giving this talk and he talked about, "Oh yeah, we were all sitting out in the blind, in the, you know, in the middle of the night, waiting for the sun to rise. And after about eight hours in the cold and in the swamp, most of the people had gone back for breakfast, but a couple of us had waited and like, this is where I got this beautiful shot." And I don't even remember if it was an Eagle or a moose or something. And I thought, "Yeah, I'm going to be the woman who's going back and having coffee."

[00:08:02] I'm not, I don't want to sit in a blind for eight hours like that.  And then of course, Annie Liebowitz is one that I just love. She's an American photographer and she does a lot of very-- what are they? I would say she, she does a lot of magazine style shoots and does some really glamorous things. And she's also, I mean, she's photographed everybody from the Rolling Stones to the Queen of England. You know, so she's just pretty remarkable as well.

[00:08:34] Lindsey Dinneen: Yeah, that's amazing. Yeah. Oh my goodness. Okay. And so that was, you were saying that was in high school or I, or sorry, college.

[00:08:43] Julie Ulstrup: Yeah, that was high school, yup.

[00:08:46] Lindsey Dinneen: Yeah. And then, so then how did that impact you as far as --well, actually, what I'm really interested in finding out is, so you, you were super inspired by landscape photography, but then you ended up as a portrait photographer. So how, how did that kind of weave about?

[00:09:05] Julie Ulstrup: Well, as I mentioned, for lack of a better way to say it, I got into grownup life, you know, because I, I had some jobs, and then I had some children, and I was able to stay home with them for awhile. And I had a, had a job at a university when my children were growing up, and I really became passionate about empowering young people to see further than they believed that they could see. And I always had this, you know, I took pictures of my children and I photographed my family throughout their life, growing up, that kind of thing. It never went away. And then I went through some really hard times in my life and I did the, I did some landscape photography and I enjoyed it.

[00:09:56] I loved it. I spend a lot of time outdoors in the Rocky Mountains are beautiful national parks, all of that kind of thing. And then I really decided, you know, I wonder if this is something that I could do more of, really find a different way. I was working as a school counselor in a high school and it can be exhausting and there came a time when there was a lot of paperwork involved and a lot of that, not really connecting with the students and their families, the way that I wanted to, because to me that was, and still is the best part about it. And so I started building my photography business. And started taking portraits, started working with families, started doing some high school seniors, some babies, that kind of thing.

[00:10:55] And really just started learning and growing my craft in a way that I could connect with people. And I think it was really even that experience that I mentioned just a few minutes ago with Tom Mangleson. Like, yeah, I don't want to sit in a blind for hours and hours to get a gorgeous photograph. Yes, I love being outdoors, but I would rather spend time with people and help them see the possibility of who they are. And that's what I do with my portrait work. I meet with people and I find out who they are and what makes them tick and the, the juicy, exciting parts about them. And. Photograph them. And I've had people come back and see their photographs after their session. And they're in tears because they have not seen themselves that way in a really long time, or they forgotten that part of themselves.

[00:12:05] So it's become a passion of mine to really help people because a lot of people, and you may know this, Lindsey, a lot of people, and it's more women--like, no, I don't want to be in the picture. No, you can't take my photograph now. Wait until I have my hair different or I get some new clothes or I lose 15 pounds. All of these things, there are all of these excuses why we don't show up. And so I help people to see that it's always good to show up and where you are right now is exactly where you should be right now and share that with the world.

[00:12:51] Lindsey Dinneen: That's beautiful.

[00:12:52] Julie Ulstrup: Thank you.

[00:12:53] Lindsey Dinneen: Yeah, and I love that. I love the fact that you're so passionate about empowering people and it's not-- it would be absolutely fine if it were just a job, so to speak, for you. But I love the fact that it's so much more to it for you. It's not just like, let me just take this picture and, you know, and, and make it the best it can be. It's who are you? And then let me show that to the world. I think that's incredible.

[00:13:22] Julie Ulstrup: Absolutely, it is for me. So I love it.

[00:13:29] Lindsey Dinneen: Yeah, no, I think that is absolutely just gorgeous. I love that. So you mentioned that you've actually been able to do this, not just locally to where you are, but you've actually been able to do this all over the world. Can you share more about that?

[00:13:44] Julie Ulstrup: Absolutely. Well, I haven't yet traveled all over the world, but I have traveled quite a bit. I do have some clients--actually I client who lived here in Northern Colorado and she came for her photographs. And she was leaving the very next day to go back home to Dubai. And so she, we did her session and then we did a Zoom call and she chose her favorites. And she has said to me, "Oh, I would love if you could come here because there'd be so many women who want to be photographed." And anyway, so we, I did some photographs of her and also traveled some to other parts in the United States where I've done a family--I photographed a family reunion in Hawaii, and we've got some resorts here in Fort Collins and in the surrounding areas of the mountains where I've done some family reunion. I'm working with somebody in Chicago to do-- I've got a, a project going on right now. And I think we're going to be doing some sessions in Chicago, probably later this summer to really do some celebration of people. So that's more to come. That's really my, my goal to move forward with that when I travel and, and, you know, continue to use my studio here in Colorado and have people here because it's, it's pretty great.

[00:15:19] Lindsey Dinneen: Perfect. Do you happen to have, and I know this is going to be a very difficult question to answer, but maybe one or a couple photos that you've taken that really stand out to you as being meaningful in? And I'm sure that, you know, that's, that's just such a hard question to answer, but you know, just something that stands out to you as being particularly meaningful, like you just, there's a memory attached or there's just something that just pulls at you when you see this photo?

[00:15:53] Julie Ulstrup: Well, that's funny. And when you ask the question, you, you know, you predicated it with--well, it's really, it's like asking a mother who's, you know, which of your children is your favorite and I've...

[00:16:03] Lindsey Dinneen: Exactly!

[00:16:05] Julie Ulstrup: I've taken thousands and thousands of photographs and what the stories are, what really evoke the emotion for me-- I had two of them, as soon as you said it, two of them came to mind. So I'll share those with you. I photographed a family last summer who was celebrating the parents were celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary and I actually photographed them with their children and their grandchildren on the day of their 50th wedding anniversary. And this was up in Estes Park, and the gentleman was not super healthy, but the family was really happy to be together. And we got these beautiful, beautiful photographs and they don't live in, in Colorado. So again, we did an online ordering session where they chose their favorites and I heard from the wife in February.

[00:17:11] And she said to me that her husband had passed away at Christmas. And she said, "Julie, I don't know, I don't know if you know this, but those photographs mean so much to me. And they've really helped me through what has been a very difficult time." And so that kind of story is, I'm so grateful that I could do that for this family and that they have those memories and that those grandchildren will remember, you know, we had some formal portraits. And then there were some of the kids just laughing on their grandparent's lap. And so that those children, they will have those for generations. You know, they'll be able to share those with their children and their grandchildren. And so that was a very powerful experience for me recently.

[00:18:06] And then I also do some work for a local nonprofit, and I do some photographs of women who were going through breast cancer treatment. And one woman came to me for portraits and she didn't have hair at the time. And she was not feeling well and she didn't want to be photographed. And she'll be like, "Well, look at me. I don't have any hair." And she wasn't excited about having her photograph taken, but she really wanted to give back to this nonprofit that had helped her. And we did a whole session with her, and she has therapy dogs, and she came back to see her photographs and they were all up on a wall. I have a wall that's, but I helped the matted and the prints made--I'm getting chills --when I tell the story. And she just, she just started crying. And she said the day that she came to see the photographs, she wasn't feeling well because she was still going through cancer treatment. And she said, these photographs show me that I'm very much alive.

[00:19:23]Lindsey Dinneen:  Oh, wow.

[00:19:25] Julie Ulstrup: Still beautiful. Oh, without my hair, even without the things that she thought of herself that made her beautiful and a woman and all of those things. So that was a very powerful experience as well.

[00:19:43]Lindsey Dinneen:  That is incredible. I think you really, you completely nailed it when you were talking about it' s --I mean, you could, probably, from an artistic, from a professional standpoint, you could probably take the perfect photo of X, Y, and Z, but without the story behind it, it's not as impactful and, and, meaningful to you than when you have these incredible stories, like the two that you shared, where you, you were able to help somebody see a different perspective on them of themselves, or you were able to capture memories that will be cherished forever. And, and it's not just about this one, you know, photo or piece of art or music what's behind it. And I, I love that. That is so cool.

[00:20:38] Julie Ulstrup: Thank you. Yeah, I do too. I, interestingly, now there are all these stories coming up in my head like, "Oh, I wonder how this family's doing" or that, you know, when people who come in with their baby or, you know, even high school seniors, I think sometimes families think, "Oh, I don't want to do this. We're just going to do something, you know, we'll do something on our cell phones or we'll do a selfie, whatever," and they come and they have this experience to commemorate the passage of time, to commemorate something that's important to them--their children growing up. Their, you know, our families growing older. Our families having babies and changing, and, you know, that's such a precious thing in this world that we live in that can be so...whatever it is amazing, beautiful, busy, crazy hard. You know, that there are these moments that really are meant to be cherished and to take some time to, to celebrate that --I think is really valuable.

[00:21:50] Lindsey Dinneen: Absolutely. And I think, you know, maybe one of the things that's great about having a professional photographer do it is that you, you bring a different perspective to the family and you're able to draw out something different than maybe the mom who's taking a photo on her cell phone, which there's nothing wrong with that. But yeah, you're able to bring a little bit of a different take , I would say maybe as to, like you've talked about bringing out their personality or, you know, making sure that they know how special they are through your work, which is a unique way to go about it too. It's not just like, let's quickly capture this moment 'cause we need to. It's, let's cherish this moment 'cause we can.

[00:22:38] Julie Ulstrup: Absolutely. Absolutely. And one of the things that I have found too is one of the reasons that people don't have professional portraits made is they feel like it's very stressful. They feel like, "Oh, I need to have the right clothes and I need to have the right hair. And I need all of, all of those things and where am I going to have it done?" Yeah. I really help people walk through the process and I make it very pain-free for them. You know, we talk about, "Okay, what are you going to wear? And what do you, you want to, what is the, do you want something casual? Do you want something formal? What's the feel that you want?" Even with a headshot, a person, oh, I, you know, you don't want to have a headshot. I'm just going to do-- Well, you know what, if you want to attract people into your business or whatever to watch your YouTube video or whatever it is. You want something that's going to be an expression of really who you are deeply and authentically, because like you said, Lindsey, there is absolutely nothing wrong with a quick cell phone picture. Those are fun. You want to do those. You want to capture those times, and having something that's a little more thought out and mindful of really who you are, where you are right now.

[00:24:14] Lindsey Dinneen: Perfect. I love it. Well, Julie, first of all, I just want to say thank you so much for sharing about your work and about your heart behind your work. And, I really, really appreciate you sharing some stories with us about, you know, The reasoning behind what you do, but also just some of these amazing stories of lives being touched. So thank you for that. I really, really appreciate it.

[00:24:40] Julie Ulstrup: You're so welcome. Thank you for this platform to be able to do that. I love it, Lindsey.

[00:24:46] Lindsey Dinneen: Of course. Well, I have a couple of questions that I always like to ask my guests if that's okay with you.

[00:24:53] Julie Ulstrup: Of course.

[00:24:54] Lindsey Dinneen: Okay. So first of all, how do you personally define art, or what is art to you?

[00:25:03] Julie Ulstrup: Hmm, well, I believe I, I believe art is an expression and a like a, an interaction between the person who creates it and the person who's looking at it. And it's, it's a shared, it's a shared experience.

[00:25:32] Lindsey Dinneen: Beautiful. Okay. And what do you think is the most important role of an artist?

[00:25:40] Julie Ulstrup: Well, I think it's to connect. To connect with my self as an artist who I am so that I can connect with the people in my art and the people who are looking at my art, experiencing my art for many, many years.

[00:26:05] Lindsey Dinneen: Yeah. I love that connection is so important. Okay. And then for my final question--I'll explain a little bit about the terms that I'm going to use--do you think that art should be inclusive or exclusive? And what I mean by that is, so exclusive referring to an artist who creates a piece of, of art, whether that's, a photo or a dance or whatever it is and presents it to the world, but doesn't give much context behind it. So perhaps there's not necessarily even a title or a, the intention behind it or what inspired it or anything--just sort of here it is--and then up to whoever sees it to interpret it. Versus inclusive, meaning that the artist does share a little bit maybe about the intention behind it or what inspired it, or a funny moment that happened, or just provides a little bit of context so that the audience has that alongside the art.

[00:27:07]Julie Ulstrup: I think there's room for both of those, quite honestly. I think that sometimes when we create art--because I believe we are all artists, we're all creators--we might not even know what or why or how it came about. So I think there's room for that. And then I think there's also room for sharing my story around the creation of art. And I think that there is a difference for me as the artist and for the person whose portrait I'm taking. This is only in my case of art, but they will have a different interpretation around it. And often what I will do--when I work with my clients to see their portraits for the first time, I will be quiet --I will share my favorites of course, but I will let them experience it. And then I will share with them: "Oh, I love how we captured this expression and this part of you." So I think there's an exchange back and forth and sometimes having some context is really important. So I think there's room for both.

[00:28:32] Lindsey Dinneen: Yeah, absolutely. All right, well, thank you again so much. And if anyone wants to connect with you either to learn more about your work or just connect with you in some other way, is there a way for them to do that?

[00:28:48] Julie Ulstrup: Absolutely. My website is my name, julieulstrup.com, and I'm also on Facebook as Julie Ulstrup Photography. So that's another good way to connect with me. Either one would be great.

[00:29:04]Lindsey Dinneen: Perfect. Well, thank you again, so very much. I'm a firm believer that when you share art with the world, you truly make it a better place. And so I just want to say thank you on behalf of myself at least, but also on behalf of the world for you sharing your, your love and your passion for photography with the world. Because I think what you do makes a difference and creates beauty. So thank you for that.

[00:29:34] Julie Ulstrup: You are welcome. Thank you, Lindsey.

[00:29:37] Lindsey Dinneen: All right. Well, that is all for today. Thank you so much for joining us. And if this episode has left you as inspired as it has me, I would absolutely love for you to share this with a friend or two, and we will catch you next time.

[00:29:58] If you have a story to share with us, we would love that so much. And I hope your day has been Artfully Told.

[00:30:09] Hey, Artfully Told listeners. I'm excited to share with you a little bit about one of my very favorite resources for artists. It's a website called Arteza. They have  incredible products, but what makes this company really unique is that they have supplies that are affordable to creators with every budget. So whether you're just starting out or dabbling or you, or you do have that budget available to you, they do you have options for every budget level, they provide the tools, but you steer the way. Literally, you can access hundreds of thousands of high quality, unique products through their website. And right now they are offering a promo code to receive 8% off of any purchase and you can access the link and the promo code in my comments and show notes.