Julia Boggio’s Exposure! – A Photography Novel with Plenty of Wit, Drama and Romance
Photography and fiction come together in Julia Boggio’s Exposure!, the third and final novel in her popular Photographer’s Trilogy.
Reviewed by Angela Adams, the book delivers the combination of photography-world humour, romance, complicated relationships and larger-than-life characters that readers have come to expect from Boggio. If you enjoy books with a strong connection to photography – or simply want something entertaining to read while waiting for your next editing session – Exposure! is an interesting addition to the bookshelf.
A novel with photography at its heart
The story returns to Connor and Stella as their relationship develops against the backdrop of a photography convention in the United States. Readers who have followed the earlier books will recognise familiar characters and discover more about their histories, relationships and motivations.
One of the enjoyable aspects for photographers is the way photography and the industry provide part of the backdrop to the story. Conventions, photographers and the personalities that populate the industry all feature, giving the book an additional layer for anyone familiar with the photographic world.
Rather than making photography the technical focus, Boggio uses it as part of the characters’ lives and relationships.
The final book in the Photographer’s Trilogy
Exposure! is the third book in the Photographer’s Trilogy, following Shooters and Chasing the Light. Boggio has also written the novella Camera Shy.
For readers who have followed the characters from the beginning, the final instalment provides an opportunity to revisit familiar faces while bringing their stories towards a conclusion.
Boggio says that finishing the trilogy was bittersweet. Her characters had been part of her life since 2019 and had become almost like real people in her imagination. At the same time, completing the series has given her the opportunity to move on to new characters and stories.
From photographer to novelist
Julia Boggio is perhaps best known to many photographers for her work in the photography industry, but her career has also developed into writing and publishing.
Her journey into fiction demonstrates that creative careers don’t necessarily have to follow a single path. Photography can provide inspiration, experience and stories that can be carried into other creative disciplines.
Boggio describes writing as a disciplined process. Her books have progressively taken less time to complete: Shooters took around two years, Chasing the Light around a year, Camera Shy three months and Exposure! approximately six months.
Her advice to aspiring authors is straightforward: start writing.
She also stresses that the first draft doesn’t need to be perfect. The subsequent rounds of editing and rewriting are where a story can be developed and refined.
Why book reviews matter
For independent authors, reviews can make a significant difference. Readers often use reviews and ratings as a quick way of deciding whether a book is worth trying, particularly when they don’t already know the author.
That is something photographers can relate to. Whether we’re choosing a new camera, booking a workshop or deciding where to have a photo book printed, recommendations and reviews can influence our decisions.
For authors, even a simple rating can help give potential readers confidence.
Photography and storytelling
One of the themes running through Boggio’s work is the relationship between photography and storytelling.
Photographers are storytellers in their own right. A single image can introduce a character, suggest a relationship, capture an emotion or leave the viewer wondering what happened immediately before or after the photograph was taken.
Fiction simply gives the storyteller more room to explore those ideas.
For photographers interested in developing their own visual storytelling, reading fiction can also be a useful reminder that compelling stories are often built around character, emotion, conflict and curiosity – not simply information.
What’s next for Julia Boggio?
With the Photographer’s Trilogy complete, Boggio is already looking towards her next projects.
At the time of the interview, she was working on a standalone Christmas novel featuring a headshot photographer, followed by plans for the Shutterbabes series.
For readers who discovered her books through photography, that means there should be plenty more photography-related fiction to come.
Where can you buy Exposure!?
UK readers looking for a signed paperback can purchase Julia Boggio’s books directly through her website. The books are also available in ebook, audiobook and paperback formats through Amazon.
If you’re a photographer who enjoys a good story – particularly one that understands the world of photography – Exposure! offers an entertaining way to step away from Lightroom, Photoshop and the camera for a while.
