Juliana Cottrell grew up between Oakland, CA and Indian Country of the Pacific Northwest. Within these two worlds, she became acutely aware of the injustice around her. In high school she began photographing the beauty of Indian Country and fell in love with the solace she found behind the lens. She later earned a Master of Social Work degree and worked for years as a social worker in Oakland’s urban landscape. During this time she returned over and over to the camera, bringing visual balance to her images as a way of defying the extreme imbalance of the world around her.
While continuing her social work, Juliana built her portfolio through personal projects and as a freelance photographer. In 2018 she earned her MA in Photography from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. Juliana currently lives in Oakland.