Julie Chandelier | Ocean & Nature Photographer | France | Sweden | New Zealand
French/Swedish, Julie Chandelier is a passionate photographer who lives to tell stories about the connection we have with this amazing natural world we live in.
Born in Stockholm (Sweden) but raised by French parents, she navigated between both countries and cultures while seeing the rest of the world in the meantime. She is now grateful to call New Zealand her beautiful home since 2017.
Whether in the polar regions, up a mountain or below the ocean, raising awareness through her images has been keeping her busy in the last few years. Her passion leads her to contribute to meaningful projects and to work with individuals and organisations who strive to improve our environment and communities’ well-being. She feels a responsibility to engage, inspire and create action from her viewers towards conservation efforts.
Her passion for the natural world and marine life especially, began from a very young age and has only grown stronger since picking up a camera in the last decade. She spends countless hours sea kayaking offshore looking for whales and dolphins for example and advocates for our oceans.
Julie has been lucky to go on expeditions in some of the most remote places on earth, where extreme conditions make photographing challenging but memorable - from documenting the whale research in the Subantarctic Islands to guiding in Svalbard and Antarctica.
When did you first start your storytelling journey?
I first started taking photos in my teen years, using my parents’ old film cameras. We always travelled a lot thanks to my mom being a flight attendant and my father a journalist. Seeing the world from a very young age has given me a great sense of curiosity and empathy towards others and the natural world, so it’s always been natural for me to observe and to document. But things really escalated for me when I moved to New Zealand in 2017. The accessibility to so many beautiful places and the rich marine life, sparked an immense urge for me to show the world the uniqueness and the fragility of this world, and our oceans. I started spending more and more time on the water and with my camera. I have been so fortunate to have so many marine encounters over the years, especially from my sea kayak. I have been seeking environmental and ocean stories to document, ever since.
What are the fondest memories from your upbringing that you feel impacted your life choices and lifestyle today?
As I mentioned above, I travelled a lot with my family when I was young and I can’t be more grateful for my parents for allowing us to see the world, and making us curious and open-minded. Thanks to this, I am now adventurous and I love experiencing new cultures, learning about others. I think this really gave me the thirst of sharing what I see and the confidence to pursue my dreams.
I also remember watching countless documentaries with my family over the years and especially animal documentaries, which has largely contributed to my ever-growing passion for the animal world.
What path did you choose after leaving school?
After graduating in Social Economics, studying marketing/communication and a gap year in Australia, I spent a few years working internationally and mainly in sales. Whilst it gave me a lot of experience, I knew sales wasn't for me so I quit my job and my life in 2017 and relocated to New Zealand, where my passion for the great outdoors and wildlife grew stronger and stronger. Becoming a photographer was never my goal but here I am. It's never too late to learn and to try a new path.
I am also currently working in the film industry and as a guide on expeditions on the water. When I was at school, I never imagined I would do these things.
What/who currently inspires you?
Anyone that cares about our natural world and acts for it, is an inspiration to me. There are too many conservationists, photographers, filmmakers, scientists that I admire to only name a few. I can say that I am at my most creative and peace when I am around the ocean and around marine mammals; they are my biggest inspiration.
What current projects / stories are you working on?
In the last two years, I have worked on several local stories back home in Christchurch, whether it is to document the life of a 92-year old woman surfer, or the conservation efforts to protect the smallest penguin in the world. There is almost always a water element in my projects and I am always on the lookout for stories that give a voice to people and organisations that have a connection with our oceans.
What would you most like to change in the world/environment today?
I would love to see a world that is more in balance, where people are more ’connected’ with the natural world and more ‘disconnected’ from their individual goals of money-making, consumption, technology or statuses. I wish for every single human to have a chance to spend time in a healthy nature, whether on dry land or by the ocean. We need a big shift in mindsets and priorities at governmental level, with many more marine reserves, waterway restoration (to name a few) so that the future generations get a shot at living on a habitable planet. Our consumption practices are a big topic too, I’d love to see more circular economies in the future.
Are there any books/documentaries that have guided your thinking, and that you'd like to recommend to other ocean lovers?
Aside from the countless BBC and National Geographic documentaries I’ve watched over the years, the full Blue Planet series and My Octopus Teacher have impacted me the most.
I also loved The World is Blue, by the great Dr Sylvia Earle.
What legacy do you hope to leave?
I hope that my passion for all things nature, inspire others to do everything they can to protect it. I hope that I have moved people and encouraged them to be adventurous, daring, and caring. It starts with the simplest things and by being curious.
I am just a tiny, tiny, part of the conservation movement but if I have helped spread some messages and shared some love that will have a ripple effect on others, then that’s it for me.
What advice would you give to anyone looking to follow their dreams as an Ocean Storyteller?
There are so many aspects of it, but find what really motivates you and most importantly, moves you. Do not try to copy someone else, instead ask yourself how is the ocean lifting you up? What does it make you feel? Is it being underwater diving, is it time spent with animals, is it more at the surface, surfing? Find what draws you in and spend time doing it, take your time. What you will end up doing (filmmaking, science, photography..), will come naturally as a result.
It is a long journey with lots of highs and lows so be patient but it is so rewarding. Connect with as many like-minded people as you can, I found that it’s helped me a lot to grow both personally and professionnally.
INSTAGRAM: @julie_chandelier
WEBSITE: www.juliechandelier.com
