I m a film maker and photographer,
Born in Paris, I left France at the age of 16 to discover the United States. Two and a half years later, I was admitted at the American University of Paris and at the Parsons School of Design and graduated in Graphic Design and Photography. Then came my first major photo reportage on war crimes in Kosovo (World Press nomination)... then the first fashion shoots for the UK magazine “The Face”. In a natural way the still photographic images started to move. I then produced and directed films on topics that I found fascinating: Salvadorian gangs, “reggae men” of Kingston, apnea… In the meantime, french producers had commisioned me around thirty documentary films (52 min), translated and broadcast worldwide on documentaries chanels. My latest project which is still under way is a photo and video documentary that is a result of 12 years of filming about the underground life of a French rock band: LA FEMME. In 2016, i directed DEEP; my first TV serial, sold in 17 countries.
https://neocha.com/magazine/jf-julian-s-intimate-vision-of-life-light/
interview by : Adam J. Schokora
In the quiet corners of Paris, amid the hum of a city alive with stories, photographer JF Julian found his calling in capturing the subtle, unspoken moments of human existence. His work, a dance of light, shadow, and emotion, feels like stepping into a reverie—tender, haunting, and profoundly personal. In a recent Tokyo exhibition, Julian’s art took center stage as a love letter to Japan and a reflection of his 15-year artistic journey. Titled A Life Laid Bare, the exhibition invited viewers to explore Julian’s world through photographs, fanzines, and wearable art. Curated by Japanese artist and model Mee, it highlighted Julian’s vision while celebrating his connection to Japan—a place that has shaped his identity and approach as an artist.
We connected with JF to better understand his journey, his creative process, and the stories that culminated in A Life Laid Bare. What follows is a paraphrased version of our conversation and a glimpse into the quiet, profound moments he captures with unflinching intimacy.
A Revelation in the Darkroom
Photography became Julian’s voice when words failed him. Struggling to connect with the adult world as a child, he discovered the medium during his studies at Parsons School of Design. A darkroom class transformed his perspective. “I was printing my first negative. It struck me as a revelation of truth,” he recalls. This discovery allowed him to communicate beyond language, capturing layered stories within a single frame. Since then, his photography has sought to distill fleeting truths, revealing the interplay of presence and absence in deeply human moments.
A Love Letter to Japan
Julian’s connection to Japan runs deep. “In Japan, the meaning of gesture and its mastery resonates in ways unmatched by other countries,” he shares. “The act is intentional; the action carries consequence.” His exhibition reflected this influence, offering viewers a glimpse into the quiet, contradictory beauty of Japan’s nights. “There’s a kind of reverence for quiet moments in Japanese culture that resonates with how I see the world.”
Julian’s work also explores the art of Japanese eroticism, which he describes as one of the culture’s “secret keys.” From 17th-century shunga prints to contemporary digital art, he finds inspiration in Japan’s unrestrained creativity and freedom of tone. Beyond its aesthetic allure, this tradition embodies a unique balance of restraint and expression—a dynamic that aligns with his own philosophy of leaving space for what is unseen, inviting the viewer to fill in the silences with their imagination.
The Creative Process: Between Light and Shadow
Julian’s approach to photography is as deliberate as the images he creates. Relying on his Canon 5D Mark IV with a 50mm f/1.2 and a 16–35mm f/2.8 lens, he works exclusively with constant light to maintain a natural, intimate atmosphere. The choice allows him to shoot wide open apertures, creating images that feel soft and calming, both for the viewer and within the scene itself. “The light needs to feel real, something the body can relax into. I don’t want to blind, I want to reveal.”
Collaboration with his models is equally intentional. Julian seeks individuals who share his creative energy and align with his artistic vision. Every detail—location, timing, staging ideas, and props—is carefully discussed beforehand to ensure clarity and comfort for all involved. Yet, within this structure, he leaves room for spontaneity, believing that the most authentic moments emerge when control is minimized and models are allowed to move naturally within their rhythm. It’s this careful interplay of planning and freedom that defines his evocative style.“Yes, it is staged, but nothing is controlled because trying to control someone breaks a subjects inner rhythm and we completely miss what they might truly give us.”
Voyeurism and the Unseen
Julian’s images often explore the tension between presence and absence, seen and felt. “Tension is when you don’t understand what’s really going on. Mystery is when you’re aware there’s more to the story, but it’s just out of reach,” he explains. His photographs invite the viewer into this space, encouraging a dialogue between what is shown and what is left untouched. “In my images, I try to leave space for the viewer to enter the scene, not just observe it.”
This interplay of voyeurism and restraint defines Julian’s artistic philosophy. “Photography, for me, is about building that tension and never resolving it. It’s about giving just enough form to invite desire—but never enough to satisfy it.”
A Life Laid Bare
At the heart of Julian’s recent exhibition is his new fanzine, A Life Laid Bare. Intimate and tactile, the fanzine captures fragments of nocturnal wanderings and moments suspended in shadow. Limited to 250 hand-sewn copies, it serves as both a collector’s item and a deeply personal artifact. “The fanzine is a memory you can fold and take home,” Julian explains. “It’s a physical extension of the exhibition, intimate and portable.” [Some images from the exhibition and fanzine are showcased in this article. If interested in purchasing the fanzine, send JF a direct message via his Instagram.]
Alongside the fanzine, Julian has collaborated with the fashion label Berak to create a capsule collection of limited-edition T-shirts. “They’re not just garments; they’re wearable fragments of the exhibition,” he says. This blend of mediums allows Julian’s work to transcend the gallery space, offering audiences new ways to connect with his art. [The capsule collection is available here.]
The Role of Travel in Artistic Growth
For Julian, travel is essential to his creative process, offering a way to break routines and rediscover the world with fresh mindset. He sees travel as a way to “open the senses,” allowing him to photograph as an outsider, guided by curiosity and disorientation. This perspective keeps his vision sharp and his work alive with spontaneity. “I think when you stay too long in one place, both physically and mentally, you stop seeing.”
Japan holds a profound place in Julian’s artistic journey. He describes photographing in the country as “an artistic inevitability,” a deliberate and deeply considered act. From its mastery of gesture to its reverence for quiet moments, Japan’s culture resonates strongly with how Julian sees the world. In many ways, A Life Laid Bare serves as his love letter to Japan, capturing its stillness, contradictions, and the poetic beauty of its nights.
Beyond Japan, Julian’s travels to places like Paris and Southeast Asia continue to shape his storytelling. Each destination contributes new textures, moods, and narratives to his work. Travel, for Julian, isn’t just about exploration—it’s an act of creative renewal, a process of continually rediscovering his place within the world.
On Generative AI and the Future of Creativity
Julian sees generative AI as a powerful tool to push artistic methods further but stresses its limits in capturing the essence of human creativity. While it can inspire exploration and innovation, he contests it cannot replicate the emotional depth born from lived experience. “Generative AI is an incredible tool, if it remains a tool. When used to assist, to explore, to challenge our methods, it can be inspiring.”
For Julian, art is inseparable from the trials, failures, and triumphs that shape the human spirit. “AI can simulate beauty, but not longing. It can copy a scream, but can not feel it.” Authenticity in art, he believes, is forged through risk and vulnerability—qualities unique to humanity.
He also warns against the pursuit of perfection in AI-generated art, which he views as a threat to creativity’s raw, imperfect essence. “If we forget that art is born from risk, not perfection, then AI becomes dangerous.” While AI may serve as a tool for exploration, we must emphasize the irreplaceable role of human intuition and emotion in creating art with true depth and meaning.
“As artists, we are in a lifelong quest for truth. And sometimes that quest results in just a few images, a few lines of poetry, a dance movement, a film scene, a painting… evidence of something deeply lived. What we create is not perfect, but it’s crafted with time, with failure, with intuition, with scars. It’s human. The essence of art, its soul, is still something only a human can risk everything to express.”
With A Life Laid Bare, JF offers a moment to slow down and connect with the quiet fragments of life that reveal intimacy, vulnerability, and shared human truths. For him, storytelling through images is less about clarity and more about evoking feelings. “My work doesn’t follow a script. It doesn’t always offer a clear narrative. It’s more about emotional temperature. I’m not here to deliver answers. I’m here to disturb, seduce, awaken. If something lingers after the image fades, then that’s the story.”
Contributor: Adam J. Schokora
Born in Paris, I left France at the age of 16 to discover the United States. Two and a half years later, I was admitted at the American University of Paris and at the Parsons School of Design and graduated in Graphic Design and Photography. Then came my first major photo reportage on war crimes in Kosovo (World Press nomination)... then the first fashion shoots for the UK magazine “The Face”. In a natural way the still photographic images started to move. I then produced and directed films on topics that I found fascinating: Salvadorian gangs, “reggae men” of Kingston, apnea… In the meantime, french producers had commisioned me around thirty documentary films (52 min), translated and broadcast worldwide on documentaries chanels. My latest project which is still under way is a photo and video documentary that is a result of 12 years of filming about the underground life of a French rock band: LA FEMME. In 2016, i directed DEEP; my first TV serial, sold in 17 countries.
https://neocha.com/magazine/jf-julian-s-intimate-vision-of-life-light/
interview by : Adam J. Schokora
In the quiet corners of Paris, amid the hum of a city alive with stories, photographer JF Julian found his calling in capturing the subtle, unspoken moments of human existence. His work, a dance of light, shadow, and emotion, feels like stepping into a reverie—tender, haunting, and profoundly personal. In a recent Tokyo exhibition, Julian’s art took center stage as a love letter to Japan and a reflection of his 15-year artistic journey. Titled A Life Laid Bare, the exhibition invited viewers to explore Julian’s world through photographs, fanzines, and wearable art. Curated by Japanese artist and model Mee, it highlighted Julian’s vision while celebrating his connection to Japan—a place that has shaped his identity and approach as an artist.
We connected with JF to better understand his journey, his creative process, and the stories that culminated in A Life Laid Bare. What follows is a paraphrased version of our conversation and a glimpse into the quiet, profound moments he captures with unflinching intimacy.
A Revelation in the Darkroom
Photography became Julian’s voice when words failed him. Struggling to connect with the adult world as a child, he discovered the medium during his studies at Parsons School of Design. A darkroom class transformed his perspective. “I was printing my first negative. It struck me as a revelation of truth,” he recalls. This discovery allowed him to communicate beyond language, capturing layered stories within a single frame. Since then, his photography has sought to distill fleeting truths, revealing the interplay of presence and absence in deeply human moments.
A Love Letter to Japan
Julian’s connection to Japan runs deep. “In Japan, the meaning of gesture and its mastery resonates in ways unmatched by other countries,” he shares. “The act is intentional; the action carries consequence.” His exhibition reflected this influence, offering viewers a glimpse into the quiet, contradictory beauty of Japan’s nights. “There’s a kind of reverence for quiet moments in Japanese culture that resonates with how I see the world.”
Julian’s work also explores the art of Japanese eroticism, which he describes as one of the culture’s “secret keys.” From 17th-century shunga prints to contemporary digital art, he finds inspiration in Japan’s unrestrained creativity and freedom of tone. Beyond its aesthetic allure, this tradition embodies a unique balance of restraint and expression—a dynamic that aligns with his own philosophy of leaving space for what is unseen, inviting the viewer to fill in the silences with their imagination.
The Creative Process: Between Light and Shadow
Julian’s approach to photography is as deliberate as the images he creates. Relying on his Canon 5D Mark IV with a 50mm f/1.2 and a 16–35mm f/2.8 lens, he works exclusively with constant light to maintain a natural, intimate atmosphere. The choice allows him to shoot wide open apertures, creating images that feel soft and calming, both for the viewer and within the scene itself. “The light needs to feel real, something the body can relax into. I don’t want to blind, I want to reveal.”
Collaboration with his models is equally intentional. Julian seeks individuals who share his creative energy and align with his artistic vision. Every detail—location, timing, staging ideas, and props—is carefully discussed beforehand to ensure clarity and comfort for all involved. Yet, within this structure, he leaves room for spontaneity, believing that the most authentic moments emerge when control is minimized and models are allowed to move naturally within their rhythm. It’s this careful interplay of planning and freedom that defines his evocative style.“Yes, it is staged, but nothing is controlled because trying to control someone breaks a subjects inner rhythm and we completely miss what they might truly give us.”
Voyeurism and the Unseen
Julian’s images often explore the tension between presence and absence, seen and felt. “Tension is when you don’t understand what’s really going on. Mystery is when you’re aware there’s more to the story, but it’s just out of reach,” he explains. His photographs invite the viewer into this space, encouraging a dialogue between what is shown and what is left untouched. “In my images, I try to leave space for the viewer to enter the scene, not just observe it.”
This interplay of voyeurism and restraint defines Julian’s artistic philosophy. “Photography, for me, is about building that tension and never resolving it. It’s about giving just enough form to invite desire—but never enough to satisfy it.”
A Life Laid Bare
At the heart of Julian’s recent exhibition is his new fanzine, A Life Laid Bare. Intimate and tactile, the fanzine captures fragments of nocturnal wanderings and moments suspended in shadow. Limited to 250 hand-sewn copies, it serves as both a collector’s item and a deeply personal artifact. “The fanzine is a memory you can fold and take home,” Julian explains. “It’s a physical extension of the exhibition, intimate and portable.” [Some images from the exhibition and fanzine are showcased in this article. If interested in purchasing the fanzine, send JF a direct message via his Instagram.]
Alongside the fanzine, Julian has collaborated with the fashion label Berak to create a capsule collection of limited-edition T-shirts. “They’re not just garments; they’re wearable fragments of the exhibition,” he says. This blend of mediums allows Julian’s work to transcend the gallery space, offering audiences new ways to connect with his art. [The capsule collection is available here.]
The Role of Travel in Artistic Growth
For Julian, travel is essential to his creative process, offering a way to break routines and rediscover the world with fresh mindset. He sees travel as a way to “open the senses,” allowing him to photograph as an outsider, guided by curiosity and disorientation. This perspective keeps his vision sharp and his work alive with spontaneity. “I think when you stay too long in one place, both physically and mentally, you stop seeing.”
Japan holds a profound place in Julian’s artistic journey. He describes photographing in the country as “an artistic inevitability,” a deliberate and deeply considered act. From its mastery of gesture to its reverence for quiet moments, Japan’s culture resonates strongly with how Julian sees the world. In many ways, A Life Laid Bare serves as his love letter to Japan, capturing its stillness, contradictions, and the poetic beauty of its nights.
Beyond Japan, Julian’s travels to places like Paris and Southeast Asia continue to shape his storytelling. Each destination contributes new textures, moods, and narratives to his work. Travel, for Julian, isn’t just about exploration—it’s an act of creative renewal, a process of continually rediscovering his place within the world.
On Generative AI and the Future of Creativity
Julian sees generative AI as a powerful tool to push artistic methods further but stresses its limits in capturing the essence of human creativity. While it can inspire exploration and innovation, he contests it cannot replicate the emotional depth born from lived experience. “Generative AI is an incredible tool, if it remains a tool. When used to assist, to explore, to challenge our methods, it can be inspiring.”
For Julian, art is inseparable from the trials, failures, and triumphs that shape the human spirit. “AI can simulate beauty, but not longing. It can copy a scream, but can not feel it.” Authenticity in art, he believes, is forged through risk and vulnerability—qualities unique to humanity.
He also warns against the pursuit of perfection in AI-generated art, which he views as a threat to creativity’s raw, imperfect essence. “If we forget that art is born from risk, not perfection, then AI becomes dangerous.” While AI may serve as a tool for exploration, we must emphasize the irreplaceable role of human intuition and emotion in creating art with true depth and meaning.
“As artists, we are in a lifelong quest for truth. And sometimes that quest results in just a few images, a few lines of poetry, a dance movement, a film scene, a painting… evidence of something deeply lived. What we create is not perfect, but it’s crafted with time, with failure, with intuition, with scars. It’s human. The essence of art, its soul, is still something only a human can risk everything to express.”
With A Life Laid Bare, JF offers a moment to slow down and connect with the quiet fragments of life that reveal intimacy, vulnerability, and shared human truths. For him, storytelling through images is less about clarity and more about evoking feelings. “My work doesn’t follow a script. It doesn’t always offer a clear narrative. It’s more about emotional temperature. I’m not here to deliver answers. I’m here to disturb, seduce, awaken. If something lingers after the image fades, then that’s the story.”
Contributor: Adam J. Schokora