Julius Shulman

Julius Shulman was born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1910. However, his formative years were spent on a farm in Connecticut, where he developed an appreciation and understanding of the nature of light. Finally moving to California,his sense of space and volume steadily grew.
At an early age he already had an interest in photography, but it was not unitl Richard Neutra became interested in some of his snapshots that a great career began. These photographs were of Neutra's kun House in Hollywood, and this chance glance served to produce one of the world's great artists of architectural photography.
It is interesting to consider these chance collisions of fate. Shulman's sister had introduced him to Neutra's new apprentice. In 1936, two weeks after coming back to Los Angeles from a stint at Berkeley, he took Shulman to the Kun House where Neutra was to inspect with a contractor. There he took six Vest Pocket Kodak scenes. He sent the 8x10s to Neutra and received a call; Neutra had liked thm a lot and wished to meet Shulman. On March 6, 1936, they shook hands, and Neutra ordered six copies of each photograph. He then gave Shulman other assignments and suggested that he drive up to Silver Lake where Raphael Soriano was building his first house. They instantly became friends, and two years later Shulman photographed the Lipetz House for Soriano. Eventually Soriano was the architect for Shulman's house and studio in Los Angeles.