LT Alumni's Photo Series on Display in Riverside

A vibrant exhibit by Burr Ridge photographer Julie Youle-Lenoch will be on display in the lobby of the North Riverside Mall theatre, featuring photos of Mexico City and Old San Juan, Puerto Rico.

The Lyons Township graduate said the architectural abstract photo series is her favorite. The series was shot with a Hasselblad camera, a type used by photographer and environmentalist Ansel Adams.

Youle-Lenoch said shooting with this type of medium-range camera was a bit complicated at times, because the camera produces images that are upside-down and backward.  The images produced by the camera contain much detail, however, which can be seen in the photos of the home of Mexican painter Frida Kahlo—a cobalt blue house with red trim. Kahlo was best known for her self portraits.

She has taken classes in various artistic genres, from abstract expressionism to the Renaissance.

“[The classes] have transformed the images I would shoot,” said Youle-Lenoch. “My work has turned in different directions.”

She said her artistic process involves deciding on a concept to photograph and then shooting different versions of it.

Youle-Lenoch says she began shooting photos of nature, but her preferences have evolved to shooting travel images. She once lived in a tent and traveled for three weeks with various groups in Peru. During that time she shot 145 rolls of slide film.

“It’s once-in-a-lifetime, the things you’ll see,” said Youle-Lenoch, who said the views from inside Buddhist temples were particularly memorable. “I’m very fortunate."

In Peru, Youle-Lenoch ascended to heights of 14,000 feet, to places where there was no Internet and limited electronics. She said it was as though she had gone back in time to the United States 30 or 40 years ago.

“I like reflecting on the people of the country,” Youle-Lenoch said.  

Originally from Western Springs, she graduated from Lyons Township High School in 1980. From there, she majored in Journalism and Political Science at the University of Iowa, where she shot images for school newspaper articles. After earning her Bachelor of Arts in 1984, Youle-Lenoch worked for the Suburban Life Newspapers in Berwyn for a year before getting married.

Youle-Lenoch is an interior designer, founding her own design company in 2001. She currently specializes in hotels, as well as homes, but has decided to change directions and focus on her photography.

She has submitted work for various shows across the country. From Colorado, to Washington State to New Mexico.

“It’s fun to travel to openings,” she says. “It’s a good feeling to see [your] art on display in the gallery.”

In addition to her show at the North Riverside Mall, Youle-Lenoch's work is also showing at the Countryside Holiday Inn and Best Western, both located on Joliet Road.

Her architectural abstract exhibit will be on display until June 4.

To view more of Youle-Lenoch's work, visit  http://www.indigenousvision.com/index.php.