Known as the girl in the yellow jacket, Giulia has made a name for herself all over the globe by documenting her travels. Her work is easily recognizable and gives us the ultimate sense of wanderlust.
Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and how you got to be where you are today?
I was born in Northern Italy in a very beautiful mountain region called the Dolomites. And that's where my love of nature and connection started growing since I had mountains right in front of my doorstep. When I was growing up, I took it for granted because it was just my every day but then getting into photography especially, I realized what a special place it is and what a privilege it is. I started picking up a camera when I was about 14 and then I went to an arts high school. I learned a lot about art in general and composition and colors and also took some photography and graphic design courses.
I was following a few people from Germany on Instagram, and I was really inspired by their work and saw them doing trips around the Alps and I was like, “Well I live in the Alps, and I have these beautiful mountains, so I can do what they do and I don't have to travel that far.” So I started posting on Instagram and after a while it just got a lot of attention and it snowballed into going on more trips. Then I started going with other people with other creatives and brands started reaching out to me wanting to work together. That was kind of the beginning of the whole travel and lifestyle Instagram. It led to so many beautiful experiences.
Where has been the most beautiful place you've been to in all of your travels?
It's such a difficult question to answer because each trip is so different. But if I could choose only one, I probably would have to say South Africa. I've been there twice now. Once I did a month long trip traveling across South Africa and it's just the perfect mix of having the beach, and the mountains and the perfect combination of warmth. I really love Cape Town, which is in the southern part of South Africa, it's one of the most beautiful cities, in my opinion.
How would you say that your work has evolved since you started shooting?
It definitely has changed a lot over the last few years especially since meeting so many different photographers. Every time you meet a new person you pick up something new that they do and you just learn so much from other people. So I think through all of my travels all of the people I’ve met have definitely influenced my work. But I think I found a style now that I really like and I stick to that but always tried to experiment with different things. I think I'm really happy with where my style is at now and in a few years, I will look back and hopefully see a change again.
Do you envision yourself as a photographer still in a few years?
Yeah, I think photography is always going to be something that I enjoy doing. But I do want to branch out a little bit and try different creative tasks, or just have different creative opportunities, such as filmmaking or creative direction, stuff like that.
What has been the greatest challenge of just being on your own as a freelancer?
Learning the business side of things. When I started off, the only thing that I knew was how to take photos. But then I had to learn how to use Instagram, how to get paid, how to pay my bills and the whole business side of being a freelancer. When I started, I was like 18 and just graduated from high school so I didn't really have any idea of business so I just had to learn by doing it.
What is your relationship with social media as a creative?
I think there was a time where I was really worried because it became a really toxic relationship, feeling pressure to post and having to perform and outdo myself each time. But looking back now, I see that I'm in such a healthier relationship with it. I'm not on my phone that much and I really try to stay away from unproductivity on it because obviously there's always the side where you're posting and engaging with people but then there's also that side where you're just scrolling and have to catch yourself.
Do you have any creatives that you admire?
One photographer that I really love is Hello Emilie. I love her style, her feed just makes me daydream all the time and it's the perfect combination of subjects and colors. So I would say she's one of my biggest inspirations right now.
. . .
Check out more of Giulia's work on her site or follow along on her travels on her Instagram.