By Shoshana Kazab - Fuse Communications
I caught up with renowned family and fashion photographer, Julia Boggio, to chat about her work, baby, and photographing the Queen. Julia is the creative director at Julia Boggio Studios, regular columnist for Photo Professional magazine and will be running a pop-up studio on Monday at Bubble London.
Tell us a little bit about your background?
I grew up in New Jersey, but moved to the UK a couple years after graduating from University. Fourteen years later, I now live in Wimbledon with my lovely Welsh husband and baby daughter.
Before photography, what did you do?
I studied Marketing and Creative Writing at University and then worked for 8 years as an advertising copywriter. I retrained as a photographer in the year 2000 after falling in love with photography while travelling in South America.
What type of camera do you shoot with?
I shoot my lifestyle work with a Canon 5D Mark II and my commercial work on a Hasselblad.
What sort of photography do you offer at Julia Boggio Studios?
Our motto is 'portraits for the famous at heart', meaning that we create magazine-standard images that capture your inner shining star. We photograph newborns, babies, children, families, and pregnancy. We also do 16th birthday fashion shoots for teens, which are very popular. We are also internationally renowned for our Vintage BoudoirTM pin-up photography and people come to us from all over the world for our couple shoots in London.
What inspires you when photographing portraits?
I’m inspired by the person sitting for the portrait. When their friends and family look at the image, I want them to think, 'Oh! That’s so them.' With children and babies, I think the trick is to create a situation in which they can be themselves and enjoy being in front of the lens.
How would you describe your own style?
Fun, stylish and timeless.
You launched a baby blog last year – what made you start the blog?
I started my baby blog, http://www.icarriedawatermelon.co.uk/, for a number of reasons, but mostly to connect with other mothers out there. I’ve always enjoyed writing and wanted to get back to writing for fun. It’s also a great way to introduce our studio’s work to a new audience.
What are the different challenges in shooting a newborn versus a toddler?
Newborn photography is a very specialised area and should only be done by photographers like us who understand the gentle care required for handling a newborn. Toddlers and children need us to be more than a photographer; they also need us to be a playmate.
You've photographed both the Queen and Sir Richard Branson. What was that like?
Both were amazing experiences. It was a great honour to photograph the Queen as part of her Diamond Jubilee tour to Merton. My husband, James, also got to meet her and I think he wants to print a huge picture of him shaking her hand for our living room wall! As two-time winner of Entrepreneur of the Year in Merton, I am a big fan of Sir Richard Branson and have absorbed all of his books. It was a fast and hectic shoot, but I enjoyed it all the same.
I have to mention your Dirty Dancing wedding dance as it’s not very often I chat to a You Tube phenomenon. What was that like?
It was pretty awesome and unexpected. Little did I think when I was planning my film-themed wedding that I’d end up dancing on The Oprah Winfrey Show with Patrick Swayze because of our first dance. It all felt extremely surreal.
Julia Boggio Studios
Unit 5, The Apprentice Shop
Merton Abbey Mills
Merantun Way
Wimbledon
SW19 2RD
Website: http://www.juliaboggiostudios.com/
Blog: http://www.icarriedawatermelon.co.uk/
0207 042 9777
shine@juliaboggiostudios.com