Julius Shulman
We’ve had quite a period of loss recently with the passing of a broad range of personalities and cultural icons. Last Wednesday, July 15th, we lost Julius Shulman, known for creating signature images of many Modernist works of architecture. He was 98 years old, and remained active his entire life. I was fortunate enough to meet him on two occasions. He was always youthful, animated, energetic, and excited to be sharing his life and experiences. I also had a great meeting with his business partner Juergen Nogai in Palm Springs last year, a talented architectural photographer in his own right.
At 19, Julius enrolled in engineering school at UCLA, and spent the next 7 years in school there, and then at Berkeley, feeling he had no idea what he wanted to do. I also enrolled in engineering school because of a similar interest in things mechanical and electrical, and was never really sure what I wanted to do. Naturally I get a kick out of seeing similarities between my life and the lives of celebrated photographers. For example, Annie Liebovitz moved frequently when she was young, with her father in the Air Force. Ansel Adams had to choose between photography and music, after years of training as a classical pianist.
I likewise moved every 1-3 years (and my dad later retired as a two-star general in the Air Force, quite an accomplishment!). While studying engineering, I was also teaching myself more about music and playing guitar. I took a break to study music full time for two years, then worked and traveled a bit, then returned to school to finish my degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering at UT in Austin. It was certainly a period of investigation and uncertainty.
With one of the longest and most successful careers in photography, one thing that strikes me about Julius is his fated beginning. He dabbled in photography in high school, and even sold photos of the old campus buildings in the bookstore. But he had no idea that photography would play a meaningful role in his life.
At 25, he moved back to Los Angeles. Two weeks later, his sister introduced him to a young man who rented a room from her. Julius tagged along with him to a house he was working on, and he snapped some photos of the unusual home. The man showed the pictures to his boss, Richard Neutra, considered to be one of modernism’s most important architects. Julius said, “Neutra ordered more pictures and had me meet Soriano, who was doing his first house. I became a photographer that day.”
I like his story as a reminder to us all that you never know how things will play out, or which talents and encounters will have a lasting impact on the life that you live. My transition into photography was much later than his, but my step into architectural photography was similarly random. My old friend Mike (we met during my first weeks of college) recommended me for an architectural photography assignment, despite my complete lack of any relevant portfolio. After being told, “We’re not going to hire your friend to take pictures of our buildings,” Mike still got me in the door. Next thing I knew, I was flying to Dallas to photograph 5 large commercial properties, complete with interior, exterior and aerial photographs. It worked out pretty well, and I’ve been shooting around the country for them for the last 6 years.
Our path isn’t always clear, and sometimes we feel we are spinning our wheels. We all face uncertainty and doubt, especially in more creative and artistic pursuits. All we can do is continue to work, seek out inspiration, create, and share the outcome. Julius Shulman took a few pictures and shared them. He did what he enjoyed and started a lifelong journey. Good luck in your adventures, and let us know what you’re creating in your own life.
- Brad
* Quote and facts culled from Mark Edward Harris’ “Conversation with Julius Shulman”, printed in Shulman’s Photographing Architecture and Interiors .