Contact: Julieleopo@gmail.com
Currently working in Orange and Ventura County in California. Available for freelance and traveling assignments.
Julie Leopo is a Santa Ana-based photojournalist who explores culture, politics, identity and social issues in her work. Her first assignment, given to her by her father when she was 10-years old, was to document family road trips from Santa Ana to Mexico. This experience ignited a passion to amplify the stories of bicultural and bilingual communities through her photography.
Dedicating nearly two decades to developing her technical skills and artistic practice, Julie’s photographic narratives center the lives and experiences of people and communities that are ignored or misrepresented by mainstream media. Her communication skills and trained eye enable her to highlight the individuality of people who are often overlooked or ignored with spontaneous and informal portraiture. Julie’s professional background as a freelance photographer informs her storytelling range that can capture moments of wild celebration and quiet joy, or reveal political corruption and inspire protest. A self-starter with a commitment to excellence, her ability to meet immediate deadlines for breaking news stories and her adaptability make her a sought-after and reliable photojournalist. As the Director of Photography for Voice of OC, Julie continues her own professional development while managing freelance photographers in the early stages of their career.
As a photojournalist rooted in the communities she documents, Julie began her professional career covering gentrification and displacement in downtown Santa Ana, and her most recent work illuminates the inequities of policing, unfulfilled political promises, and the pandemic’s devastating impact on local families. Understanding and respecting that photographic images are a form of powerful storytelling, Julie aims to reveal the truth in every photograph she takes.
CV:
Education OCC School of Photography
Grants & Awards
2015- Social Issues Photography $1,500 Grant
2015- American Photo Association Award: 2nd place
2014- Orange Coast College Student Show Award: Honorable Mention
2016- OC Press Awards- First place Best Slideshow
Exhibitions:
2014- Local Only! Santa Ana art show ; collaborative art show
2014- “Mexico” Solo Gallery 2014- Orange Coast College Student Show
2015- Downtown Santa Ana Gallery showing ; collaborative art show
2016- Photo LA at The Reef; collaborative art show
2016- Photo LA- Berlin Art week. Berlin, Germany.
2016- National Museum of Peru; collaborative art show. Peru
2017- Yale Photo Society Show. New Haven, Connecticut
Print Media:
2014- Culture Collide: Travel with Purpose “Los Angeles” photographs
2015- Santanero Zine Volume 13 “Injustice” Cover Photo
2015- APA National Photo Awards book
2016- OC Weekly: Affordable housing photo
2016: OC Weekly: A Santa Ana’s Native Son On Whats Next For Orange County’s Greatest, Most Hated City
2017: OC Weekly: Huntington Beach Pro-Trump March Turns Into Attack on Anti-Trump Protesters, OC Weekly
Online Photo Publications:
Voice of OC- Voices of Fourth street ;Santa Ana, CA
OC Weekly: Mayday Protests; Santa Ana, CA.
Culture Collide: Travel ;Los Angeles, CA.
Voice of OC : Lost Innocence; Santa Ana, CA.
USC: The Social Justice Review - Lost Innocence
Voice Of OC: When does a Dress-code gone too far?
VICE: California's 'Fuck Trump' Protest Wasn't a Movement—It Was a Party
OC Weekly: The colorful and temporary world of Santa Ana’s Las Yardas.
OC Weekly: Huntington Beach Pro-Trump March Turns Into Attack on Anti-Trump Protesters, OC Weekly
OC Weekly: Endangered Species: The Food Trucks and Street Vendors of Santa Ana.
OC Weekly: Car Wash in honor of Murdered Teen in Santa Ana.
OC Weekly: A Santa Ana’s Native Son On Whats Next For Orange County’s Greatest, Most Hated City
Mitú: Latinos and Muslims Are Having Cross Cultural Exchanges During Ramadan Thanks To Halal Tacos
KCET: Santa Ana’s Underrepresented Citizens
Inquire about her availability: