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Interview With Julia Baum (Julia Baum, at far left)
For those of you who aren’t familiar with the photography of Julia Baum, I think you’re in for a treat.
Julia’s been interviewed on "The Sister Project" blog by author Marion Roach (read about Marion). Other interviews include Future Shoot.com, Glamour Magazine, The New York Sun, ArtCat Zine, and Wassenaar Magazine. Additionally, she’s won several awards and honors for her work. Her portraits have been shown in multiple group and solo exhibitions, a recent solo exhibit being in 2008 in the New York Studio Gallery, NY. Having red hair herself, Julia's photographs have a unique perspective because of the redhead experience she shares with her subjects. Her style and approach lets them tell their own story without words....
1) Hi Julia, I was born in Rochester, NY in 1983 and lived there until I was 18. At that point I moved to NYC to pursue a Bachelor's degree in photography from the School of Visual Arts. I graduated in 2005 and have been based in NYC ever since. My family used to visit the city a lot when I was a kid because we had relatives near by, so from a very young age I knew I wanted to live here. For me, it's the best place to be, though I love to travel as well.
I went on to take classes at the Community Darkroom in Rochester NY, and that helped me to prepare a portfolio for my college application. About mid-way through college I started getting more into medium and large format photography and focused on that for several years. About 2 years ago I purchased a Canon 5D, which is a digital SLR. I've been working mostly with that since then. I'm not really into camera equipment, and the less I need to use, the better. The equipment I work with is dictated by the project I'm working on.
What kind of response have you had to this call? What part of the project is the most challenging and what part brings the most joy? And is a book with your portraits a possibility in the future?  I find my subjects in all different ways - off the street, friends of friends, Craigslist, etc. The online casting is great because it gives enthusiastic redheads a chance to contact me. I love hearing from people who are excited to show off their individuality. My end of things is a lot more fun when I'm working with someone who's really interested in being photographed. It's a lot harder casting people off the street, who are often skeptical and have somewhere they're running off to. The most challenging thing for me within this series is creating an even focus on all age groups and balancing the ratio of male and female subjects. The most fun part of the process is getting to the point where I've selected the image I'm going to use of someone and bringing it to it's final form. As for a book, that is definitely something I would like to pursue when the time is right.
Do you feel your own temperament is any different because of your red hair or is it a reaction to being told your are different? What would your family say? Well, in addition to being a redhead I'm also an Aries. So I have the fiery personality thing coming at me from two angles. I don't really believe too much in either though. I don't think there's a biological link between hair color and temperament. It's a stereotype that some people fit into, but that's not my personality. The best thing about being a redhead is having a built-in fan base of people who are "into redheads". It's nice to know even strangers feel so strongly about you! This is true for all redheads.
I did get teased a little, but not mercilessly like some kids have. Kids sometimes ostracize those who are different. They feel threatened because they don't understand and so they push that insecurity onto the person who is different. As you get older, the more unique and original you are the better. People work really hard to stand out and get attention. As a redhead, you have that job taken care of from the start. You can take your passions and talent in any direction you want, and you know you'll stand out from the beginning.
So, what about your parents? - Was your red hair a surprise in the delivery room and did your mom hear the "Where’d she get the red hair?" question a lot? Also, what’s your family’s response to your portraits? My hair color was definitely a surprise, because my mom is blond and my dad has brown hair. There isn't a whole lot of red going on in my extended family either. Everyone likes to ogle over little redheads - even I do it now when I see one. I think my parents prized my red hair in a certain way when I was younger. Even now actually - they don't like when I cut it really short. My family likes the portraits I've been working on. They just had one framed for their house.
My sister is 6 years younger than I am, so she received her own attention as a kid because she was the baby. That probably evened out the attention between the two of us, among strangers. She's more dramatic than I am and actually has a bigger presence in a room than I do, I think. I'm more the type to sit back and observe. I'm always a little taken aback when I'm noticed, even though I should be used to it.
  Kids impress me the most out of everyone I've photographed. Some of them are so comfortable and natural in front of the camera, it really amazes me. When I photographed Louisa (left), I felt like she was a miniature Heidi Klum. She was posing all on her own, and knew exactly how she wanted to stand. It seemed like she was really in tune with how the camera was seeing her. Claudia (right) is another girl I was impressed with. I looked back at photos from our shoot recently and couldn't believe how many images I took of her that day. Her attention span really exceeded what I expect from a kid her age. A lot of people I photograph seem to hit a point where the energy fades, and then I wrap it up. With some people, I just have to call it a day at some point, even though the energy hasn't stopped.
‘A Rare Breed' is about redheads, but it's also about each individual in the series and their own personal story. Their lives are influenced by their hair color in all different ways. During an exhibition I hope people can connect with the work and find value in it. I hope it can inspire people to appreciate their individuality. By the way, if you're in the NYC area, I have some work up right now in a great exhibition called "Objective Affection" at One Brooklyn Bridge Park Building 2 Joralemon Street, Brooklyn Heights, NY 11201. (Go to boffo-ny.org for more info.)
I'd say if you're looking to learn more about photography, find a photographer who works within your genre of interest and see if you can work with them. There's so much that goes on beyond just taking pictures, and you'll learn about what is behind their success. If you're looking to just improve your skills as a photographer, my advice is don't get too wrapped up in equipment. You don't need anything fancy to take a good picture. Also, look at a lot of artwork, past and current. Try to create a project or theme for yourself to work within, even if it's all just based on a feeling.
I have a feeling there’s a lot more to come from Julia, and I pray for continued success and blessings....!! --If you are in the NYC area and want to see where Julia has an exhibit running, you can check out her website, juliabaum.com and click on ‘News’ to find out what’s happening. You can also view her other photo gallery on 'Houses.' Plus, there's info about her casting call for natural redheads in the NY area. Like me, if you can’t get to NYC, check out her blog, ‘A Rare Breed’.
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My website is a celebration of redheads and their gifts, and I really wanted to showcase her work. So I’m grateful she agreed to let me ‘pick her brain’ and see what goes on behind the scenes with this talented photographer.... 
Well, grab your cup of coffee and on to the questions........
My first camera was a 35mm manual film camera by Minolta, handed down to me by my parents when I was a teenager. Before that I wasn't really thinking much about photography. I took my first photo class in high school and became enraptured pretty quickly. At the time I was learning in the darkroom, developing and printing black and white film that I shot. The way a scene could be transformed onto a piece of paper was most interesting to me. You can manipulate the mood of a picture just in the way you choose to print it. 
4) As a natural redhead, you live with the stereotypes that abound, especially regarding the famous redhead temperament, temper, etc. 
6) As a mom of 2 redheads, I’ve always felt so blessed and other parents of redheads understand that. We notice other redheads too. 
All the work I do is with the vision of putting the prints on a wall one day. It's great to share what I've been working on. I know that everyone will come at it with a unique point of view and it's nice to get all different kinds of feedback. 
Plus, if you have someone particular in mind you’d like me to chat with, drop me a note at my 
