feature#1,000,000: Julian Berman
roof!: First up, it’s always good to get a scope on someone’s background.
Name, age, place of residence, how’d you get into photorgraphy, camera
gear you use, all that. But also - to mix up this standard question - which
photo-related purchase do you regret the most?
julian berman: Name is Julian Berman, born and raised in Los Angeles, Calfornia…
THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. Started shooting say, three years ago, when I got tired of sucking
at skateboarding and hitting spots all day with the dudes. Decided to take up photography
classes in high school, instantly got hooked.
Photo related purchases I regret? hahaha holy shit, there are plenty.
I sold my Olympus XA in order to buy an overpriced Yashica T4, not even a super.
Holy fuck that camera was horrible….. RIP XA miss u baby…. whatever.
Also just pulled the trigger on a Mamiya 7 with a 65, only to find out the body
that I bought was BROKEN UPON ARRIVAL. So my hopes and dreams of venturing into the realm
of 67 are currently on standby. Thankfully i got a refund on the body,
but decided to flip the lens on ebay…. Holler
if you want to sell me a cheap 7 kit dogs!
rf: You’re probably asked this about a billion times a day,
but we’re gonna ask anyway: how did you end up
shooting pictures of the guys from OFWGKTA? What’s the stupidest story that
you have from spending time with them?
jb: I’ve been friends with the Odd Future dudes for quite a few years now.
Went to high school with Taco, and had linked up with Tyler
through the hypebeast forums. Starting hanging out regularly,
and then of course shooting and getting far more serious…
A lot of ridiculous shit goes down, honestly just about every single day.
If you do not know already, Tyler is absolutely out of his mind,
and just the best dude. On one instance, we decided to
gather up the troops and camp out at Supreme a few years ago for a
release, fast forward 5 hours, probably 6AM, and we are playing
Red Light, Green Light running across blazing traffic on Fairfax,
with Tyler being the conductor. That was definitely an experience.
Also just the every day hangouts, throwing stuff at cars, saying
obscene things to random pedestrians, every single meetup is bound to have
something monumental happen.
rf!: I’m guessing from your photostream that you started out as a skate photographer.
You can always kinda tell when someone is a disciple of SkatePerception.
Do you agree? Why do you think so? Generally, what impact do you
think skating has on your photography?
jb: I’ve been a long time lurker of skateperception for years, I guess always somewhat creeping
the random discussion thread, but never really got too involved. I’ve definitely learned
a lot snooping throughout that website, especially about the latest trends in gear ahahah,
shoutout to Doug Hock for having a new camera every week! ♥
The SP family consists of really solid dudes though, and I’d say the
images are definitely showcasing such talent, whether it be in the Everything Else
forum, or the billions of solid skate shots being posted daily.
Photography wise, skateboarding has definitely had a decent influence. When I first started
shooting, it kept me far more involved with the homies, actually gave me
even more of a reason to cruise out to spots, to document
the entire experience. Though I do not really shoot skating that much
anymore, I still long for it, though I was never phenomnimal at it.
Skateboard photography seems as if it is an entirely new realm of photography,
and I respect anybody shelling out bangers!
rf!: Lastly, (unless I think of more) - what is your plan for the future?
You’ve had some pretty amazing success in regards to scoring a Billboard Magazine cover,
is that kind of photography something you’d wanna pursue?
jb: Plans for the future, man to be honest, I am still far too
overwhelmed with all of the Odd Future success as of late.
I would have never expected one of MY PHOTOS to be on the cover of a magazine,
especially Billboard. I am definitely incredibly grateful for that. The entire commercial realm
of photography is definitely intruiging to me, but that is not necessarily my
realm. The entire digital phase for me, outside of editorial purpose, has really just faded away.
Ultimately in the future, I’d love to keep at medium format, just taking lifestyle shots,
just documenting my day to day, and all of the great people I am surrounded by,
but who knows what the future will have in store for me.
rf!: Shoutouts?
jb: Thanks for eveything Joe and Tom, appreciate being a part of the site.
Also, far too many shoutouts, and sorry if I forget anybody out! BUT…..
Shouts to all of the Skateperception family doing great things, Nick White, Mike Donahue,
Karl Bermann, Lucas Madel, Gabe, Phil, Jew Doug. Shoutout to all of my WOLVES,
Lucas V, Kyle Johnson, Gio Darkins, Carlos, Julian C, STRAY RATS, all of the family at Diamond Supply,
my parents, my cat Rudy, everybody supporting me on tumblr, and lastly my baby girl Kira.
Also shout out to Complex magazine for ripping off my photos! Much love.
