I cannot remember when, where, why, or how. Perhaps it was my mother, a film photographer, putting a camera in my hands long before I could comprehend. Whatever it was, the drive is still alive and well today.

16 years ago I started my journey in photography. At the ripe age of 15, my mother and I pooled our money together so I could buy my first DSLR. A Nikon D1000. Everything I could have asked for, and needed to build a strong foundation. That camera was good to me. My formative years were spent focusing on landscapes around my home town of Sag Harbor, NY. At this time I was still heavily intimidated to shoot portraits. I mean, I didn’t have to tell the landscape, “chin up”, or “a little more to camera right.” I could take my time to work out exposures, focus on one part of the scene that struck my fancy the most. Landscapes never pressure you, they simply exist. When you take the time to stop, sit, and listen, it will give you everything you need to capture essence. Perhaps it’s being 100 miles into the ocean that gives The East End certain je ne sais quoi. Whatever it was, it speaks, and I listen.

In fact, it wasn’t until 2017/2018 that I started truly diving into portraits. Yes, even after all of that time, I was still intimidated. What changed? I started surfing. Who would have thought?! In retrospect, it makes the most sense. I had been trying my hand at surf photography, but then the day came where I actually got on a board. A wave so small I’m surprised I even got to ride it, but your girl got up. First f***ing try! That was the moment, everything changed. I just didn’t know it yet. *butterfly effect, is that you girl?!*

I am no believer in coincidence, the time at which I was learning how to surf, I was also losing my mother to cancer. Life really has a way, you know. It was fate that brought me to surfing. Surfing would save me, because surfing heals.

As I progressed in surfing, I once again progressed in photography. (Just makes me think about all the roads that lead you to where you’re supposed to go.) You see, the thing about surfing, is that style, personality, and authenticity. Both matter, and translate. I had begun recognizing surfers based on their paddling, pop ups, cutbacks, and “whackaaaa taaasssss.” Who they were outside of the water, almost directly translated to who they were in the water. ESSENCE! THERE IT WAS! The fusing had begun. I had found what I had long been looking for.

Fast forward seven years (2024), I had reached another “bump in the road.” Everyone around me suddenly became a photographer. No shame, but the genuine art of photography is rapidly dying, if you ask me. I needed to pivot in the journey to reconnect with photography. Film photography had long been on my mind. I had been scanning my Nana, and Mother’s negatives, ranging from the 50’s-y2k, there were thousands. Scanning my Nana’s medium format negatives, dating back to the 1950’s, I realized, these aren’t just negatives, they are artifacts. I looked at the hard drives next to me, and panicked. It was in this moment I realized. I would be staying broke and shooting film. No way a hard drive is going to last the test of time. NO FREAKING WAY! Life did its thing again and said, “WAKEY WAKEY! The journey starts again. You’re going to practice what you preach and start developing your own film.” more or less. I was already set to return abroad, so onto Ebay I went. Hunting for the perfect camera. The catalyst, a Pentax Asahi 6x7. The winter of 24-25 I created some of my favorite images. Capturing the real, authentic, and true moments that happened in front of me. I draw endless inspiration from the friends and surfers around me. Finally, I had the answers to the equation I had long been trying to solve.

So if you get anything from my story, please take away this. “Nothing happens over night, and Rome wasn’t built in a day.” At 31 years old, completely looking my journey in retrospective, it took 16 years for me to find my identity with photography. And if I’m being completely honest, I still don’t think I've fully found it. But alas, that’s apart of the journey. On that note, before we conclude, how about some food for thought. The initial journey, even after all the cross roads, is still the original. The journey only evolves with us. The butterfly effect, have you been watching all along. Whatever it is, thank you, I’ll see you in the cross roads.

Annie Leibovitz once said "When I say I want to photograph someone, what it really means, is that I'd like to know them. Anyone I know I photograph." This is a prime example of how I approach photography.

I would like to give a very special thank you to anyone and everyone who has sat in front of my lens over the last 16 years. Thank you for opening up and letting me get to know you, and vice versa. Thank you for showing me your essence, and trusting me to translate that through a photograph.

All My Best

xx Julianna <3

Image circa 2011, By Juliana Sava (Nikon D1000)

Redwood Anchorage