Julian Cousins

Inspired by the colors and textures of Technicolor films, Photographer Julian Cousins shoots images that remind him of movie stills. Currently working in Miami Florida, Julian’s interest in photography started when someone traded him a T-shirt for a camera. Since then, Julian spent time using color theory and the motion of Technicolor film stills to influence and drive his work. This led him to realizations about the importance of images and how, as an artist, the process is not as much about finding an image as it is about letting the image find you. Finding a balance between commercial and personal work is also learned in this process.

Limbo

Some of the things I noticed in my work are the documentation of human presence. I’m really interested in the existence and purpose of left objects in space: the mystery of why things were left or placed a certain way, and what level of meaning was put into their placing. I also understand that I do not choose images anymore; they choose me. I can feel when something needs to be photographed. I experience communicating with this inanimate object that’s been given a temporary purpose from a person. A lot of the times the object is placed temporarily to be used again. It’s almost in limbo. I can see the intention in its rest; I know how temporary it is. It is almost paused until the person connected to this object returns. In this limbo, does it become art or does my recognition of its beauty make it art? The way light can change an object is really important as well. I took a class once where the professor spun a chain around on one leg and explained to us how with each new angle, we see the chair. It becomes a new object as our perspective changes and the light changes. It is only because our mind considers and understands how these factors affect the object that we don’t recognize it as many. With light and composition, these left objects become new. Photography lets me show this new object -as I have seen- it to others. I consider the before and after as much as the moment captured. Within that thought process, I create stories.

To view more of Julian Cousins’s work please visit his website.