Welcome to another installment of a Jules Café Coffee Break! One thing I love about these virtual Coffee Breaks is learning about many different photographers in the community.    And Justine Ungaro, a sassy, hip, bi-coastal wedding and portrait photographer, is worth learning about! If you’ve missed out on previous interviews, scroll down here to get to know more about photographers that are making a splash in the industry.

Although she calls Los Angeles home, Justine can be spotted working all over the US and sometimes abroad.  She has studios in both Los Angeles and Washington DC.  Many of Justine’s clientele come from the music industry, and you can see  Justine’s images in People magazine for her work on singer Lisa Loeb’s wedding.

One thing Justine is known for in the photography industry is her amazing method of portrait sales — she has developed an incredibly effective system for big sales with big projection, and is happy to share her secrets with colleagues.  Justine had gained quite a cult following on some popular photography forums with her willingness to share about her method of projecting portraits, and suddenly she was finding herself thrust out in the limelight with speaking requests and workshops!  A second generation photographer, Justine now hosts The Modern Portrait (http://themodernportrait.com) workshop alongside her mother, Diana Adams to share their projection-based sales system with other portrait photographers.

I started following Justine on twitter and we began a cyber-friendship before I ever met her in person, and by the time we met it was like we’d been friends for years.  Justine is incredibly talented, and really, just a cool person.

Justine recently learned what it was like to be on the other side of the camera when she became a bride in October of 2008.  Her wedding was photographed by Greg Gibson, a photojournalist on the east coast who has a great eye for capturing the moment.  Justine’s experience in planning her own wedding prompted her to create The Unbride (http://theunbride.net), a blog offering advice and inspiration for the non-traditional bride.  This season, Justine looks forward to spending a little more time at home with her husband and a little less time on JetBlue.

Make sure you check out Justine’s new site at  http://justineungaro.com!

I was thrilled when Justine agreed to participate in our Coffee Break series. I really like her advice about giving back to the industry, and that it will return itself to you even more.  I believe that — that is the concept of Jules Cafe! I think you will enjoy learning more about Justine in her thoughtful responses below.

Here are some fun facts to start off with:  When Justine was 13 years old, she got her black belt in Tae Kwon Do, so you’d better be on your best behavior around her!  Something near and dear to my sister Jules’ heart is the fact that Justine also has a furry baby in the form of little Oliver, her dog.  Ah puppy love.

Justine’s new husband works in television, so I asked her if she was going to be on any TV show, what would it be?

A: I probably know a little too much to answer this one honestly. But if I had to be in any show, I think I would want to be a judge on Top Chef or some other cooking show. I really enjoy eating so any sort of professional eating would be an excellent job for me if I wasn’t a photographer.

LEARN:  What’s something that you feel like you’d like to learn more about, something you are continually learning?

A: I’m always studying and trying to learn more about lighting. It’s one of those skills you can keep on adding to forever and if you continue to challenge yourself, it prevents you from getting bored with your own work. Because even if you do everything else the same, changing your lighting will completely alter the look and feel of an image unlike any other aspect of your shot.

What is something that you wish someone would have told you before you had to learn it the hard way?

A: I wish I had invested in more business oriented eduction early in my career. I feel like I was always trying so hard to grow as a photographer that I neglected the business part which is just as important.

GROW:  How have you grown in the past five years in your business, in your own personal quest for growth, in your awareness of the world around you?

A: Since I started out in this business a little over 6 years ago, the past 5 years have certainly been an enormous period of growth for me. The most dramatic had to have been my move from Washington DC to Los Angeles 2 years ago because I literally had to start a whole new business from scratch. So the past 2 years have been all about trying to establish a well-respected brand and style in an already oversaturated market that is full of incredibly talented photographers. That just takes some creativity on the business side.

I think that the network of friends and clients that I’ve built around my photography business has actually taught me a great deal about how small the world really is, how connected everyone is in this day and age. I learn from every client whether it’s a family celebrating a marriage or the birth of a new baby or just getting together for some portraits that when you take away all of the stuff, all you really have left is family…whether bound by blood or friendship. It really makes me feel even more deeply for my own family and how valuable they are to me.

How would you recommend others grow—do you have a favorite marketing tip, workshop suggestion, or convention to attend?

A: A favorite tip? I’d have to say that when it comes to photographing people, flatter them first. So many photographers these days are trying so hard to make a photo “cool” that they forget about making their clients look good which is sort of the whole point of portraiture for most people. A workshop? Well mine of course! For anyone wanting to make the jump to projection sales, I invite you to come hang out with us (me and my mother) for a couple of days and we’ll teach you everything about the portrait business that we learned the hard way over the course of many years. I also urge photographers to invest in at least one workshop or convention per year. I find that I need that in order to stay fresh and continue to move forward. I also attend the WPPI & DWF conventions every year, I think they are both well worth it.

SHARE:  How do you feel that you contribute to the industry?  What is something you would like to share with your follow colleagues?

A: Recently most of my contributions to the industry have been in educating other photographers through online forums, speaking engagements and workshops. I genuinely believe that when we share our knowledge with one another, we are helping to strengthen the entire industry and increasing the perceived value of photography in the eyes of our clients.

How can they turn around and do the same for others?  Favorite charitable contribution?

A: Since photographers tend not to have oodles of money to give away to charity, I suggest offering your time and talents instead. I donate portrait sessions to dozens of school auctions every year. A lot of the time I’ll get great new clients out of it but more importantly, I like the fact that I’m investing directly into my own local community.

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THANK YOU Justine for your insights!  I really appreciate your taking the time to share.  Your thoughts about lighting, and about flattering your client first are dead on.  I also love your comments about appreciating your family.  I look forward to more inspiration from you in the future!  Now for the fantastic work of Justine Ungaro.  Visiting her home studio was a treat, since it embodies the cool vibe of Justine, and is covered with enormous canvas wraps of her clients.   Check out some of her amazing work below.  Justine is planning a move into a bigger studio space soon, and I can’t wait to visit!