In Search of Beauty and Harmony: Julia Hiebaum’s Fine Art Photography

The Interview

To start, could you introduce yourself and describe your photography practice as it exists today?

My name is Julia Hiebaum. I am a European fine art and portrait photographer originally from Vienna, Austria. I moved to Italy when I was 12 and lived there until I finally relocated to San Diego in 2007 when I married my husband.

My photography practice is actually very varied depending on the day. I just finished photographing a couple of productions for City Ballet. Then I did a corporate portrait session and I just came back from a photography workshop with a wonderful photographer named Craig Varjabidian. We went to photograph the White Sands Desert, which was always on my bucket list, and I learned a lot from him as a mentor.

You mentioned that you work with a wide variety of subjects: nature, landscapes, portraiture, architecture. Is there something underlying that ties all the subjects together and makes them distinctly ‘Julia Hiebaum’?

I think the underlying common factor is definitely a search for beauty and harmony. I look for that in all my subjects. I think it’s because I want to view the world as a better place; we all need that.

There are many different themes, but I’m drawn to whatever brings out my curiosity. I definitely have a strong sense of aesthetics, of trying to imprint the beauty and harmony that’s around us.

Nature and landscapes were the starting point of your journey. What drew you to those subjects first?

Relocating to San Diego, I was definitely surrounded by more nature. Milan, by contrast, is a very industrial city. So I was incredibly inspired by all the wonderful ocean views, sunsets, clean air, cloud formations, all of that. I really think that landscape and nature allow us to study them patiently.

You can study the light. You can notice details in an ever-changing environment, with animals or moving plants… you allow yourself to discover, really. So I think that’s why it’s a starting point for many artists, as it was for myself.

Nature also gives you so much in return. It just envelops you with peace and harmony and well-being; we feel good when we’re out in nature. If we can bring that into form and share it with others, it makes them feel good, too. It’s like an ongoing exchange and passing-on process.

Especially the ocean and the San Diego coastline. Every time I go, it feels so healing. It’s just a breath of fresh air every time.

Yes, it really is. It feeds us and it feeds the viewer. If you can, as an artist, pass that along, I think your mission is accomplished.

You have a really interesting background that you’ve already touched on a few times. You were born in Vienna and moved to Milan as a teenager. You spent 20 years working in fashion in Milan. How did this international movement and upbringing shape the way you experience the world and approach photography?

You feel a bit like you don’t really belong to one specific place. In Europe, even though countries are very close to one another, they have a completely different cultural background. It teaches you to adapt, maybe to become a little bit less judgmental, and to observe more. You become much more impacted by different surroundings and different cultural experiences, trying to absorb them all. Being an artist, it allows you to digest things in a certain way, absorb them, and then let the expression of them flow out into visual memories.

It has definitely shaped me, not only living in different countries, but also continuing with my travels. It probably will continue to shape my work throughout the years, being open to the new experiences.

Can you talk a little bit about your experience working in fashion?

I was a fashion model, actually. I also did work behind the camera because I ended up doing a lot of TV commercials and ended up working as a casting director’s assistant. I’ve always liked the process behind the camera.

You definitely develop a strong sense of aesthetics in the industry because you’re constantly obsessing over details, whether in a garment, makeup, a product, the way you’re holding something, the way you’re turning your body, how light can shape a person’s face. I think it’s fascinating because you can really bring out the best in everybody with the right attention to these details.

Do you have any formal training as a photographer, or was this more of an organic process that developed through practice and experimentation?

It was more organic, but I did follow some courses for photography. I went to community college. I watched a lot of videos because luckily online there’s a lot to explore. I also did a course at the New York Institute of Photography during COVID because I thought it would be a nice opportunity to further my education and to study some of the masters. I like to continuously learn and improve myself.

You have an impressive list of international publications, awards, and exhibits. What has that recognition meant to you personally?

Well, the recognition has given me validation in terms of the high-quality work that I try to achieve. Like I said, I continuously improve as an artist. Definitely, it has brought a bit of monetary recognition and allowed me to be known in the art community. I’ve had the opportunity to do art installations for places like a Rove Concept Store, the Cinepolis Movie Theater, and Chase Manhattan Bank, and I think it has given credibility to my work as an artist.

That’s why I continue to enter competitions. Not to be measured really, but to see where you stand compared to other artists, even though we all have different approaches to artistic expression. It’s also a nice way to continuously showcase your work, independently of the awards, and be an active member of the art community.

When you’re approaching a photograph, do you photograph a landscape, a person, or nature differently? Does each have its own unique process, or do you follow the same guidelines every time?

Yes. I approach every subject with honesty, with patience, and by listening with my eyes, so to speak, to what’s in front of me. I let it come to me and speak to me.

With a human subject, of course, they need to be reassured and put at ease. I’m really trying to make them feel comfortable in front of my lens because then we can create the magic better, I think. So that takes a warm-up: talking to them, listening to their needs, and trying to make them feel at ease physically. Sometimes it helps to start by having them seated versus just standing. I like to start that way. I make them move just slightly, not make them do things that they’re not comfortable doing.

With nature, you work around it and try to find the best light. You don’t have to shape it in the same way, although sometimes I can move a few leaves around here and there to make it better. I like to photograph flowers not just in the natural environment, but bring them into the studio and change it somewhat.

It is a different approach, but in the end, I think what brings it together is to photograph the essence of the subject. And that can be a person or an inanimate object or leaf.

What is your favorite subject to photograph?

Oh, the favorite is difficult to answer, but I have to admit, I really like to bring out the beauty in people. I think people need to know that they can look absolutely beautiful and feel confident, that they deserve to have their shining moment. I think that’s really nice to give to people.

I love to photograph children, too, because they’re so spontaneous and always playful. They bring out the playfulness in you, too, and allow you to continuously be spontaneous while you’re photographing.

I just had that happen during my last shoot for City Ballet, and the age groups were so different. It was really interesting to see how children are just so genuine and come up to you and want to play. They are so ecstatic when they see the photograph in the back of the camera. Then, as they get older, they get a little bit more shy or introverted. When the teenagers come, they practically don’t want their pictures taken. There are all these different stages, but they’re all funny.

My other favorite subject is flowers. I love their ephemeral beauty. You capture it in one moment, and in the next it’s gone. It’s nice to capture that, to make a lasting memory of all the colors and textures. I think they’re just wonderful, and I’m very much inspired by that.

Looking ahead, do you have any projects that you’d like to share?

Actually, I have a few trips coming up. We’re going to Greece soon, and I won a trip, which is incredible, to Bhutan. There was a photography workshop included in that trip. I thought, “I’m just going to enter it just for fun,” and I won! So, I’m going in August to Bhutan. My parents had been there, and my mom always raved about it.

I’ll be there for about 12 days with a small group. We’re going to be foraging for mushrooms and visiting monasteries like the Tiger’s Nest. I’m so very, very grateful and blessed to be able to go there.

After that, I’ll be photographing more locally again for City Ballet. I have some projects coming up, but I don’t want to speak about them because they’re not finalized…. And I enjoy being home and doing still life photography, just experimenting with different subjects.

Is there anything upcoming that you would like to try that you haven’t tried before?

This coming august, I will be photographing mushrooms for the first time in my life, so I am very excited about this opportunity to explore them in the forests of Bhutan. 

I would also enjoy photographing more in detail home interiors and architectural buildings and home. 

Lastly, I would also be curious to try Boudoir photography, I think as a woman I would make other women feel comfortable and confident to bring out their inner beauty foremost.

Is there anything else that you would like to share?

I think we’ve covered a lot of things. There’s still so much to learn and to experiment with, but I’m very grateful to be living here. I think San Diego is a perfect environment for so many artists, and for us to express ourselves freely, which is wonderful.

About Julia Hiebaum

Julia is a European Award winning Fine Art and Portrait photographer who has been living in San Diego, California for almost twenty years. Since relocating from Italy, she further developed her sense of aesthetics while being more immersed in Nature. Julia has been exhibiting regularly in galleries and venues across California and her work has been published regularly in various print media internationally. Julia also creates commissioned images for clients like the City Ballet of San Diego. Whatever the subject she tries to capture, her love for nature’s beauty and creations is ever so present. She is an awarded artist and a member of the La Jolla Art Association where her work is currently on display.

Work with this Artist

About the Author

Robyn Palescandolo is a visual artist, art historian, and Director of Marketing for San Diego Art Directory. Her own studio practice is rooted in classical realism, painterly observation, and the quiet beauty of the natural world. As an editor and interviewer for San Diego Artist Network, she is interested in thoughtful conversations that illuminate the creative lives of artists throughout the region.