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Julie Gelfand is a professional photographer, activist, parent, multiple dog owner, and married person based in Rochester, NY. She received a Master of a Fine Arts in photography from Rochester Institute of Technology in 1981, and has been a full-time freelance photographer partnering with her husband, Steve Piper, since 1985. Her overriding mission has been to weave all those elements into a life she can stand behind with integrity, pride, and a sense of humor.

The following are threads that tie together Julie’s photography and approach to life: the thrill of making connections, the practice of walking with eyes always open to new discoveries, and a drive to affirm and share those discoveries with others. As family and financial needs have changed over the years, so have her photographic and life priorities. Her children are both now living in Boston, treading water though their own versions of adulthood. Being able to live on less income is a gift they left in their wake. Now Julie devotes much of her time working with others to promote housing rights for all. She carries her camera everywhere, a tool to inform and promote awareness and appreciation of that which is often less noticed.