Meet Jules Miranda | NYC film photographer & artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jules Miranda and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jules, what is the most important factor behind your success?
In all honestly, my business is so successful because I started off with a “fake it till you make it” mentality. I never studied photography, and am completely self-taught, thanks to the internet. I simply started taking photos for fun, mostly of my friends, until they started to ask me “how much do you charge?” I didn’t go into photography thinking “this will be my career” it just fell into place for me. At first, I was charging very little, pretty much just to cover the costs of 35mm film, and my subway fare. It wasn’t until one friend in particular literally refused to pay me the $45 I charged him. He said “with the quality you’re making, I’ll gladly pay more.” That’s when I realized, you don’t need a degree to be good at something. And when it comes to art, people aren’t paying you because you have the best gear, or because you have years of experience. They want you for *you* and *your eye*. So, I began to “fake it” by educating myself with how to run a successful photography business. I posted a bunch of my photos online, which seemed as if had tons of bookings (which resulted in *actually* getting booked). I acted really professional, even while I was still learning. Now, only two years later, I’m a full time photographer, and it’s changed my life.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I take lots of photos, but what I specialize in is 35mm film portrait and concert photography. People and musicians are my absolute favorite things to take photos of. I think a big part of this is because I was leading a band right before I fell into photography, so it felt easy to transition to the other side of the camera. Other than music, I love taking photos of people, because I love allowing people to see themselves the way I see them. Getting in front of a camera can be really vulnerable, so nothing beats that feeling when I client of mine *loves* their photos, after being shy in front of the lens. I love to capture the *in between moments* like right after someone takes a deep breath, or when I make someone laugh. What sets me apart from other artists, is that no one can see things the way I see them, and this is the case for every artist! But having the confidence in this fact, is what will make you successful.

Getting to this point was not entirely easy. Taking the photos is easy for me! Because I love doing it, and I have so much fun, it doesn’t feel like work. But learning about the back end, how to run a business (contracts, invoices, client management, marketing, etc.) was *not* easy. I grew up as a dancer, and studied musical theatre in college, so this was completely foreign to me. I’ve always had the people skills, and am confident talking to clients, but I really had to dive deep into learning about how to maintain a business. I’ve learned a lot, and am still constantly learning. Even pricing myself, for the first year and a half, was such a challenge. I didn’t feel *worthy* to charge a certain amount because of my little experience. But with time, came my confidence. And also learning that your dollar amount has nothing to do with your worth as a human/artist. Even now, when I run into new challenges, I’m not afraid to ask questions, whether it be just a Google search, or reaching out to other photographer friends in the community. It’s okay to make mistakes, and it’s okay not to know everything. It makes you a better artist.

At this point, I’m really proud of myself and the work that I’ve done. I’m most proud of my project: Female on Film, which is a printed zine I created sharing the images and handwritten stories of 10 femme identifying people, and each of their journeys with body image. The profits from this zine go to Fo’s Feminista: an international alliance for women’s sexual and reproductive health and rights. The zine is still available on my website! The first round of prints was so successful, I’m currently printing more copies.

I knew right away as I became more successful in my business, that I wanted to create art that tells stories, and spreads awareness. I plan to continue to create more projects such as Female on Film. I’m so excited to create more and more, but not because *I want to be famous,* but because I want to be able to inspire other people, the way that so many artists have inspired me in the past.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
There are so many great spots in NYC, it’s hard to choose! Going out to eat is one of my favorite things to do, so that would be high on the list. Olio e Piu in the West Village is my favorite for Italian, and Donburiya near Columbus Circle is my favorite for Japanese. I’d also take them to a show at my favorite venues, Baby’s all Right and The Sultan Room. And we’d definitely hit up some museums, MOMA, The Met, and also, The Met Cloisters, which is in Fort Tryon Park, a seriously underrated part of the city.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
The biggest credit for my successful, and fast-tracked photography career, has to go to Jessica Whitaker. She is a photographer herself, and photography educator. She has *tons* of free resources online for photographers. I am so lucky that I found her YouTube channel right at the beginning. I feel like I learned everything I need to know to start my business. There were definitely other resources I used as well, but she stood out the most to me, especially because she is a successful young female business owner in a male dominated industry. I still continue to use her resources to this day, and am even currently involved in one of her bootcamps! Anyone looking to start their own photography business should check her out.

Website: julesandfilm.com

Instagram: @julesandfilm

Other: TikTok: @julesandfilm

Image Credits
Headshot of me is by Anthony Joseph Photography. All other photos I took myself