The COVID pandemic changed a lot of things for a lot of people, and Julie Doerfling was no exception.
She married her husband James Doerfling in 2019. In 2020, they found out they were pregnant.
In those early pandemic times, there was no baby shower, there were no “new mom” groups to join and she and her son Ryder were fairly isolated.
But from this isolation, as she looked to regain her footing, Doerfling decided to pursue a long-held desire to become a photographer.
Technology had come a long ways from the disposable cameras she had pestered her mom to buy her when she was little.
She watched YouTube videos, researched a good starter camera and began practicing on her family.
“I was just learning as I went along,” she said.
Soon, she moved on from family, took out a business licence, made herself a business page on Facebook and began booking payed gigs as Julie Elizabeth Photography.
"When you're a mom, things happen really quickly and you have to make decisions really fast, and I just decided to follow a childhood dream," she said.
She shot 12 weddings in 2024, while also working for Williams Lake First Nation (WLFN) on their community garden five days a week through the summer.
"That experience has really made me believe in myself and my capabilities, because I did not have a lot of self-confidence in the previous year," she said.
It was her friend June Harry’s passion for the WLFN community garden which drew Doerfling into gardening.
“She has a really, really big vision. It was nice to be a part of that,” she said.
After the hectic summer last year trying to keep up, she’s dialing things back to refocus again. She plans to do more filmmaking and grow a garden of her own for her family on the 10 acres she and her husband have on Fox Mountain.
Currently, they have two dogs, two cats, a few chickens, her horse Indian Chrome and a donkey.
Doerfling grew up accustomed to open space, having room to roam and riding “green-broke” horses.
“We were just fearless,” she said of herself and her siblings.
To avoid chores, she said they “would be on our bikes, on our horses or in the creek.”
“We were always outside.”
In total, she has four siblings: Davee Palmantier, Jody Palmantier, Mike Hurst and Sky Moses.
Growing up riding, it makes sense she ended up spending time with her friends June Harry and Bonnie Louie out at Stwecem’c Xget’tem (Dog Creek) helping to chase cows in the summers, and even racing in the Williams Lake Stampede Wild Cowgirl Race three times, an experience she said is like nothing else.
“It’s such an adrenaline rush," she said. “It feels like you’re flying.”
She and Indian Chrome were fourth in the final race on what she described as "a real mucky track."
A member of Williams Lake First Nation, Doerfling said it has taken her time to grow stronger in her connection to her Secwepemc culture. As the second generation not to have attended residential school, she said there can be a disconnect which has to be overcome.
Growing food to connect to the land, and photographing pow-wows and being able to showcase the dancers are two things which she has said have helped make her feel more connected to her culture.
"I love the communities that I've been welcomed in," she said, noting she loves the local women's hockey community, First Nations communities and the biking community.
