New Talent- Julie Best Parsons

This is part three in my series of highlighting new photographic talent on my blog.

I first met Julie Best Parsons when my wife Becky and I were asked to chaperon a high school dance. At the time I was looking for a photo assistant and a second shooter for an upcoming freelance assignment taking photos of dance students.

I had used several other photographers in previous years as assistances on big jobs but had not been very happy with some of the effort. So I was in the market to find someone else.

I was looking for someone who could work quickly and efficiently. This assignment had a lot of large groups and limited shooting time. What I needed was someone who could quickly establish rapport with the student, pose and execute the set-ups needed. We only had about 2-3 minutes max with each student. I also needed someone with high-energy, as these photo shoots usually are an all day affair going from early dawn until well after the sun goes down.

As I rotated through the chaperon stations I had a chance to watch the group of about 6-8 photographers that were taking student's photos at the dance.

I noticed one who immediately stood out from the rest. She worked quickly, immediately establishing a rapport with her subject and took command of the shooting situation in a good way putting her subject at ease, while moving them where she wanted to get the best pose and moment out of each situation.

I told my wife Becky and we both spent a minute talking to her and introduced ourselves and we asked her if she would work as our second photographer.

I found out that she was the mother of two children with one on the way; A tri-athlete and a dancer with bundles of energy, enthusiasm and a lot of raw photographic talent.

She has her own small (but growing ) studio in her home in Clinton, Utah where she keeps herself real busy with three small children and a husband. She is one of the local "up and coming" portrait photographers whose work you should take a look at.

Here, in her own words, is how she came to be one of us, you know one of those pixel snapping, lens zooming geeks we lovingly refer to as "memory freezers" or "Professional Photographers" to the rest of you.

Julie Best Parsons

My journey in photography began as something I enjoyed and somewhat of a hobby. Three years ago as my family and I were moving back from living in Colorado an opening come up at a local photography studio that my sister loved. The job was for an office assistant, five days a week. Just having my second child I found myself not being interested in such a position. But after meeting the owner I found out she was looking for an assistant photographer. I showed her some of my work and I was hired. I shadowed her for a while and learned the art of taking newborn and maternity photographs. Soon I was taking my own appointments and began to see the beauty of what I could create behind the camera. I joined the IPPA and began taking any and every photography class I could find. After working for a while at that studio, I began at another on the weekends taking school dance pictures.

After working for a while for other photographers I decided it was time to open my own small studio in my home. Being a mother of three small children I wanted to work from home and start taking pictures for myself. My studio is small but growing everyday, and I love what I’m learning and doing. I’m inspired by finding new ways to make people look beautiful and giving them something to treasure for a lifetime.

More of her work can be found on her website by clicking here.