TMITF on break until August...

Dear Readers:

I'm taking a mini-vacation from blogging for a bit. I have a lot of stuff going on right now and need time to regroup. I will be back soon, so no need to fret!!! In the meantime, please drop me a line at tmitf.info@gmail.com if you have any comments or need to get a hold of me.

See you in August!
TMITF

Julius Shulman Dies at 98.

Farewell "Uncle Julius"

While in New York this past weekend, I was deeply saddened to hear the news of Julius Shulman's passing. Known to many in his field as "Uncle Julius," Shulman had a long and prestigious career -- which spanned more than eight decades -- as a photographer of some of the world's greatest architectural gems, many of which were located right here in L.A.



Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, 1965
A.C. Martin Partners
Photography: Julius Shulman

Commonly referred to by many as an architectural photographer, Julius Shulman never seemed content with carrying such a moniker. "I'm not an architectural photographer. I hate it when people call me that," Shulman told me back in 2007 when he invited me over for a snort of scotch at his Rafael Soriano-designed home and studio. "I don't just shoot photos of buildings. I shoot photos of buildings interacting within their respective surroundings. I'm an environmental photographer."

When I returned this afternoon to L.A. I was anxious to re-read Julius' contribution to Barbara Isenberg's book State of the Arts (if you don't have this book, you must get it!) After re-reading it three times, this excerpt felt like a great way to end this post. It clearly illustrated one of Julius' many admirable traits -- confidence.

"Every photograph I ever took came out. I never had any second or third exposure or revisits to a site. In sixty-four years of photography, I've never had a remake. I never was told by an architect to go back to and do it over again. Never. As a matter of fact, people began to call me "One-Shot Shulman," because I took one negative of each picture and that was enough. I knew it would come out."