Over the last 98 years, Julius Shulman has made a name for himself worldwide. His spectacular architectural photography has transformed the way people look at modern homes and buildings, and ultimately brought fame to a number of mid-20th century architects. Despite living a long and fulfilling life, Shulman sadly passed away at the age of 98.
Shulman had a philosophical effect on the overall teaching of architectural history through his magnificent work. Although he worked all over the world, it was his pieces of the LA area that drew the most attention. Photographs of glass houses in Palm Springs and Los Angeles and several homes all over the are helped him make a name for himself rather quickly.
His photograph of Koenig's Case Study House #22 in 1960 was extremely prominent. It featured a glass wall and was a cantilevered structure that lingered above the lights of Los Angeles. This quickly became one of the most famous architectural photos that has ever been taken in the U.S.
While his work was signified by beautiful pictures of houses and buildings, this was not all he was about. In addition to capturing stunning images, Shulman's overall mission was to help build the reputation of the architects who were designing the innovative buildings.
His photographs of South
ern California's innovative modern homes propelled the careers of countless visionary architects over the years. Many of his images were widely published while promoting and marketing the West Coast's casual elegance. He displayed to the world the glamour and beauty that rested in California.
It is astonishing to think such a man with such talent only took one course in photography in high school at Roosevelt High. From there, he spent seven years strolling through UCLA and UC Berkeley taking such classes as auditing geology, philosophy and many other courses. After seven years, he still did not have a degree and was unsure of what he wanted to do with his life upon returning to Los Angeles.
Just to get by and pay rent, he began making money off of basic pictures he had took at Berkeley with an Eastman box camera. He even won a national magazine competition for a picture he took of the 6th Street Bridge over the L.A. River. It was in March 1936 that his big opportunity finally arrived.
This was when he visited a modern house by Neutra and was really intrigued by the strange forms it presented. After taking several pictures, he developed a few of them and sent them to a draftsman who showed them to Neutra. The architect was more than impressed and invited Shulman to photograph many more projects. This was the start to his professional architecture photography career.
Through Neutra, Shulman was fortunate to meet a number of other prominent architects to propel his career. Over time, he became more experienced and learned how to look at angles most people would never notice.
There was some controversy over time about his photographs being too beautiful. Rather than taking a picture of an object for what it was, he would often rearrange items to get the perspective he wanted. In addition, he would bring props and models to pose in the frame. Sometimes he would even use filters or infrared film to make the photos more dramatic.
Shulman's response to this was that he was not just taking pictures; he was actually "selling modernism." Despite the controversy, he continued using his methods and received a tremendous response from them.
In the beginning of his career he would make no more than $35 to $50 a piece. Those same photos later in his career would sell on the market for as much as $20,000. He had essentially made a name for himself to say the least.
While taking exquisite photographs was his passion, he knew he had a gift. Later on, he began conducting seminars in photography at USC, UCLA and other universities. He did not shoot photos near as much, but he did continue taking assignments into the late 90's. It was the thrill and enjoyment of capturing stunning images that kept his interest up well into his later life.
Shulman had a long career that was filled with glamour and success. Many of his pieces remain as monumental figures. What he did was capture basic images and turned them into magnificent art that captured the eye of the public. Between catapulting his own career, bringing light to talented architects, and broadening the perspective of countless photography students, Shulman certainly left a mark on several people over time.
His first wife, Emma, passed away in 1973 and his second wife, Olga, died in 1999. Julius Shulman now joins the both of them after passing away at the age of 98. He is survived by his daughter and a grandson, Timothy, who both reside in Santa Barbara. His photographs will continue to inspire us forever.
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