Photography has always been a passion for T. Julian Pertkiewicz who has been taking pictures since he was fourteen years old. He graduated high school and went on to the New York Automotive Engineering School to pursue a degree in Automotive Diagnostics, to satisfy his other passion building and racing cars. Being one who thrives on an adrenaline rush, he challenged himself to build and race fast, high performing cars. Two years later, after recovering from an intense accident, he received a wake-up call to put this hobby behind him and to find something that would not only give him that adrenaline rush, but that would give him a “vehicle” to expose the rawness and truth of life, from a superficial world. He went on to study at the prestigious School of the International Center of Photography in New York City where his concentration was Documentary Studies and Photojournalism.
Currently, T. Julian is a freelance photographer with the North Jersey Media Group, who publishes half a dozen publications statewide. His work features multiple front page spreads including humanitarian and charity events.
He has an eye to capture the cultural zeitgeist of the time. His style is raw with emotion and candid. He has the ability to peel back the layers of a scene to expose the beautiful gritty reality, which may be overlooked by others.
His debut exhibit, Gun-shy, which takes a fresh look at the issue of gun violence, was featured in the I.C.P Show in June 2013. Gun-shy is the initial project in T. Julian's portfolio surrounding social issues and conflict photography. T. Julian currently resides in the New York Metropolitan area.