TA B L E O F C O N T E N T S
4 A P P R O A C H TO P H OTO G R A P H Y
6 I N F O R M AT I O N A B O U T PA C K A G E S
16 A B O U T J U L I E C O M F O RT
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A P P R O A C H TO P H OTO G R A P H Y
I feel my greatest asset as a photographer is my ability to connect genuinely with my subjects. I take a very documentary approach to portrait and family photography because I believe that the most valuable photos in the long run are the ones that capture something authentic about you, your everyday life, and the genuine love and affection that exists between you as a family. My favorite thing to shoot is Day in the Life sessions, because the organic, real, everyday moments are the memories most treasured, yet least documented. During a Day in the Life session I will spend an entire day with your family in your home, documenting a typical imperfect, messy, beautiful day that captures the unique spirit of your family and exactly what your life is like in this particular time and place. I spend the moments between shooting getting to know you and your children so as the day goes on and you all grow more comfortable with me, you barely notice that I am shooting and the photos get more intimate, personal, and authentic. The best way, in my opinion, to display these photos is in a book, and over the years you can grow a collection of volumes of your changing life.
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I N F O R M AT I O N A B O U T PA C K A G E S
All lifestyle sessions include documentary style photography by Julie Comfort, an online gallery of all of the images to share with family and friends and to order prints, a specially curated and edited selection of the best images from the shoot as print resolution digital files, and a generous product credit to be used toward prints or a custom designed 8x10 book.
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D AY I N T H E L I F E S E S S I O N
Full Day Portrait Session on Location with Julie Comfort 50 “Best Of ” Print-Resolution Digital Files $150 Credit to Use Toward Prints or Book Online Gallery to View, Share, and Order Photos Travel Within Europe $ 14 9 5
(15% Discount in Berlin)
P O RT R A I T S E S S I O N
2 Hour Portrait Session on Location with Julie Comfort 25 Print-Resolution Digital Files $100 Credit to Use Toward Prints or Book Online Gallery to View, Share, and Order Photos $695
(Plus Travel Fees if Outside Berlin)
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VA C AT I O N S E S S I O N
I am also available to travel with your family and document your family vacations throughout Europe and abroad. Not only will you have gorgeous professional photos that perfectly capture the joys and experiences of your trip, but you will actually get to be in all the photos and everyone looks their best when they’re on vacation! The more time I spend with your family, the more emotionally real and intimate the images will be. I will spend as much time hanging out as part of the family as documenting it, so that I straddle the line between participant and observer. I’m happy to help out with the kids however I can, or share a glass of wine with you at the end of the day. I want the entire process of working with me to be relaxing, enjoyable, and productive. And not only will I document your family, I will take gorgeous photos of the destinations as well. And I give you a quick edit of 20 images at the end of every day for you to share to social media. Full Day Session on Location by Julie Comfort 100 “Best-of ” Print-Resolution Digital Files $200 Credit to Use Toward Prints or Book Online Gallery to View, Share, and Order Photos Travel Within Europe $895 per day plus accommodation (3 Day Minimum)
A L A C A RT E P R I C I N G
UPGRADE TO COMPLETE SET OF PRINT-RESOLUTION FILES $495
CUSTOM DESIGNED 8X10 BOOK WITH 100 PAGES $695
FIVE MINUTE HIGHLIGHTS VIDEO TO MUSIC $495
VIDEO SERVICES cu st o m q u o t e
TRAVEL OUTSIDE OF EUROPE cu st o m q u o t e
When you book your shoot with Comfort Studio you are automatically enrolled in our Lifetime Loyalty Program and you will receive discounts on all future photography services and products (based on the current pricing at the time of booking ). We also have a generous Referral Program. We know you will be so happy with your photography experience that you will want to tell your friends and family about us anways, but as a special thank you for your support we offer several rewards for each booking you send our way. Please feel free to ask for more information about this.
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A N I N T E RV I EW WI T H
Julie has been taking pictures since 1998 and has shot all over the world. Being a destination photographer allows her to combine her loves of photography and travel. Her experience and expertise means you never have to worry that your moments are being expertly documented, so you can fully relax and be yourselves. Julie is committed to sustainability practices and is also very involved with several organizations, donating her photography services to NGOs and her time as a mentor to Big Brothers & Sisters and the Paterson Photography Project in America. On the next page is a conversation between her and her best friend, artist Catherine Hart.
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whimsy and craftsmanship inherent to it, and from photos it looks like a beautiful place. I imagine Japan would be an incredible place for photography. Since you mentioned that career wise you would love to take some of the best pictures of your life, what do you think makes a great photo?
So I want to start out by asking, if we were having a chat like this one year from now and you were telling me about what a great year it ended up being for you, what would you have accomplished/experienced/etc for that to be the case? Great question, and something I have been really struggling to answer for myself lately, of what I want my life to look like right now. My immediate goal, of course, is to travel and just open myself up to some incredible adventure or experience I can’t yet imagine. I feel like I really just want to allow myself to be completely surprised by what’s to come and move forward without expectation. But that said, career-wise, a year from now I would love to be able to say that I really stretched myself creatively and took some of the best photos of my life. I would like to continue to attract incredible clients whose values of love and connection and togetherness align with my business model of documenting authentic moments. And I would like to work more in other mediums as well and find time to work on more collaborative projects. That would be an amazing year.
It’s very easy to go to a new place and take a certain kind of photo that is inherently interesting just because it is of something beautiful. In a sense, it’s easy to be lazy about photography when you travel because everything is different from what I see every day, but I really want to make photos that feel like me, that have a sense of mystery and seduction, and play with light. I think a great photo finds a balance between the familiar and the strange, and creates more questions than it answers.
I love the idea of the balance between the familiar and the strange and I agree that makes a successful photograph. As a painter I realize I can have complete control of the image I create, but hearing your answer I am realizing that a photographer has to accomplish that image through some collaboration with the world. Do you feel like you are collaborating with your subjects or do you feel like it is more of a solo job?
Great answer and sounds like it would be an amazing year. I certainly think you can accomplish all of those things. So since travel is on your list, I’ll ask you if you could get on a plane tomorrow and go anywhere in the world, where would you go and why?
I definitely see it as a collaboration because my work largely involves people, but ultimately my photos are only as good as the subject is comfortable engaging with me. I feel like there needs to be a connection between me and my subjects, and there isn’t always, and then there is this camera between us that adds
Well, if I could only pick one destination, I am dying to go to Japan. I am so fascinated by the culture there, there is such a sense of
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another level of distance. I am always trying to find ways to connect with my subjects. I find laughter works great, but of course— shockingly—not everyone thinks I’m funny. My best photos happen when my subjects feel really comfortable with me, and in the case of couples, with each other. Genuine connection is really obvious in successful photos, and unfortunately discomfort is really obvious, too. I am really drawn to street photography, but I’ve never been able to do it, because for me personal engagement is integral to my process.
a limiting setting or light situation or a collaborating artist—forces you to narrow your perspective, which usually yields something more profound and evocative than if you had no limitations at all.
What have you learned most about yourself in the last year? The last year was filled with some really hard lessons. I learned that I have an amazing capacity to love someone beyond what is maybe healthy for me, and that I struggle with putting my own needs first, as do many women. I also learned that I need to feel a sense of freedom to really thrive in my life, and for my creativity to unfold. Turns out I am very creatively stifled by routine, and so I need to honor my need to always be pursuing new experiences and connections.
“ I T H I N K A GR E AT PH OTO GR A PH F I N D S A B A L A N C E B ET WE E N T H E FA M I L I A R A N D T H E ST R A N GE , A N D C R E AT E S M O R E Q U E ST I O N S T H A N I T A N S WE R S .”
These are great things to learn, especially as a catalyst for your upcoming year. Do you have a final note on what you hope your audience will connect with in your work?
How is collaborating with your subjects different than collaborating with other artists? Sounds like you hope to have some collaborations in your upcoming amazing year.
I am really interested in how you can never truly know someone, and I hope my work conveys a sense of mystery about the subject; a curiosity about who they are, what they’re thinking, what that moment was like, but without fully being let in. I want there to be something seductive and inviting in my photos that I hope people connect with.
In both cases, collaborating with artists and photographic subjects, there is a definite requirement to letting go of control. I find that my best work has come from imposed limitations. Limitless possibilities are often overwhelming, so I think having to work with what you got—either from your subject or
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FA Q
HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN SHOOTING?
I have been shooting professionally since 2008 and have shot over 200 weddings and countless portrait sessions in every setting across five continents, but I have been shooting personal work for over 20 years.
HOW MANY PHOTOS DO YOU TAKE AT A PHOTO SESSION?
A lot, but it totally depends on the day. For a typical Day in the Life Session I deliver between 300-500 images. DO YOU TAKE POSED FAMILY PORTRAITS?
My style is really geared more to capturing real moments in a photojournalistic style, but if you would like a staged formal family portrait I am happy to include that during your session. HOW LONG UNTIL RECEIVE MY PHOTOS?
Your online gallery will be posted within 3 weeks of the shoot as all editing is done in house and is an integral part of my work. You can view all your photos in the gallery, share them, and order prints. You can also download low res files from your gallery to share online (I just ask that if you post any on social media that you credit me with a link back to my site). If you order a book you will receive it within 8-10 weeks and your high resolution files will be delivered along with the book on a USB drive.
FA Q
WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU GET SICK THE DAY OF MY SHOOT?
I have never—knock on wood—had to miss a shoot, but there are always unforeseen circumstances and if I know with enough notice that I will not be able to make it, you will first have the option to either reschedule or get a full refund. In the case of a last minute emergency for a shoot that can’t be rescheduled, such as a vacation session, I have a huge network of talented photographers to call upon if necesary. WHAT EQUIPMENT DO YOU SHOOT WITH?
Since remaining flexible and unobtrusive is integral to my approach, I have a fairly minimal equipment set up. I shoot primarily with a Nikon D750 and a few prime lenses, but I also bring a handful of other small cameras including a Fuji x100t, as well as 35mm and medium format film cameras. I always have back-up equipment, memory cards, and batteries. WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY “BEST OF” IMAGES?
I select and edit my favorite images from the shoot (the number determined by the package you order) to deliver to you as print resolution digital files, which you keep and are welcome to print on your own. The rest of the images from the shoot are viewable in your online gallery to order as prints from the online storefront or to include in your book.
B O O K N OW
W W W.C O M F O RT S T U D I O.C O M J U L E S C O M F O RT @ G M A I L .C O M @ J U L I E C O M F O RT