Who is Juliana Echeverri?
What drives Juliana’s passion for snapping stunning photos?
The skilful manipulation of light, vivid contrast in colors, and meticulous control of depth, capture Juliana’s drive and passion when it comes to her photos.
Which photo looks best?
Which captures your attention?
These questions are asked to a number of students here at ILS with tweaks and edits made along the way before Juliana is finally happy with some of her photos.
“And still,” she says, “there is probably more I can do.”
But photography wasn’t always something Juliana took interest in. It wasn’t until sophomore year after taking photography class as an elective that her journey really started.
“I don’t think I was very good at first,” she stated with a wimpish smile.
The enjoyment I got out of the class made me want to continue and pursue it.
— Juliana Echeverri
Although she wasn’t very good, she was still able to appreciate and admire the effort in each photo. And that beauty and depth each photo encompassed launched her in her pursuit of capturing something of that scale herself.
As the year progressed and her photography skills grew, so did her passion. Florida’s wide variety of wildlife offered new inspirations for her work. She never grew tired of taking photos and even now, as a senior at ILS, she is still learning.
“I learn something new all the time,” said Julianna.
Whether it be about a new camera, a new technique, or how to edit her photo, there is always something more she explains. There is so much that photography entails and most people don’t know the half of it.
Snap and photo and send? No, it can take hours, sometimes days for a photo to be perfected.
“And even then, it can still be improved,” Juliana shared.
As a junior, Juliana decided to partake in the Art Walk by becoming a vendor. She expressed that others always said she could sell and so she decided to try. With support from family and friends, her stand did well, and she decided to participate this year as well.
“I actually bought one of her pieces last year of a horse. I thought it was really pretty and I just really like how she captures the animals in her photos in general,” said junior Bernadette Nieto-Ramos sharing her appreciation for Juliana’s work.
Bernadette attended this year’s Art Walk and purchased another one of Juliana’s photos.
“I bought this butterfly moth print,” she said explaining how she appreciates Juliana’s focus on nature and animals, a clear staple in her work.
“I came to support her because she’s one of my really good friends,” said senior Rebeca Trespalacios.
Rebeca also purchased a print from Juliana after falling in love with a photo of a bird she couldn’t leave behind.
“I thought it was really good and I really liked it,” she explained.
Juliana hopes to continue to take photos in her future. She envisions herself working in a similar profession to Mr. Ron Magill, the lead at Zoo Miami, whom she greatly admires. He is an American wildlife photographer whose worked at Zoo Miami since 1980, and become a world-renowned wildlife ambassador. As Juliana progresses, she pictures herself working with animals and still being able to do what she loves, capture the nature around her.
