Judy Coleman

of

www.judycolemanphotography.com

Where are you from?

I was born in New York, but when my father returned home after World War II (after surviving the sinking of his ship by Kamikaze pilots) we moved to Westchester County where I learned to ride at  the age of four at Sleepy Hollow Country Club.  Horses have been a passion in my life ever since.

Who, if anyone, would be your fashion inspiration?

Grace Kelly was my fashion idol when I was growing up.  My father liked to call me Gracie (even though I didn’t think I looked like her.)  I like classic American fashion with a little Venice fashion thrown in, and of the American designers, I appreciate Ralph Lauren’s incorporation of equine fashion into his line.  I am also a child of the 60’s, and those fashion ideas will never leave me.  I tend to shop mostly in Malibu, close to where I keep my horse.

Of course, there’s always a little Paris fashion thrown in.  My red Repetto ballet flats are a staple of my wardrobe.  I also read a Paris fashion blog daily.

How did you become a photographer?

I was working as a reporter for a Santa Monica newspaper.  One day the paper’s photographer was sick, and my editor  told me I had to cover for him.  So I picked up my husband’s 35mm camera, and that was it: love at first sight.  Photography took over and changed the course of my life.

Has leading a visual/creative life influenced your style?

Of course.  After starting to see photographically, particularly after getting my MFA at UCLA when I was 38, I started to experiment a lot more with fashion.

What have you learned as a result of fashion?

I learned that you can change your mood, even your outlook on life, by changing your clothes.

Do you have a personal philosophy.?

Yes.  Discover what you love to do, what you are good at, then work as hard as you can, harder than you ever imagined possible.

Also, appreciate each day as it comes.  Each day is a gift.  I learned this the hard way, through illness, and I will never forget it.

If  could share one lesson with me what would it be?

Open your eyes and your mind to the artists and photographers who have gone before you.  There you will find a gold mine of ideas and lessons.  But, of course, find your own style.