Meet West Hollywood Photographer: Stephen James

Today we’d like to introduce you to Stephen James.

Stephen, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I’ve been interested in photography since high school. There is a bit of magic and uniqueness in being able to capture a moment in time and space. I really enjoyed photographing architecture, nature, and landscapes. Over the years as 35mm film gave way to digital, I found myself restricted in how much I could shoot as the cost of developing film increased. After college I rarely found myself shooting at all.
Then several years ago, on a very fateful birthday, I was given a digital Canon camera by my now fiancé. My interest and passion for photography was immediately reawakened. It occurred to me shortly thereafter that I should try my eye at photographing models and actors. There’s been no looking back. Over the past 4 years, I’ve expanded and upgraded my photographic equipment. Over the past year and a half, I have upgraded my skills through taking many intensive photography courses at UCLA Extension. When I think about myself making those first images back in high school and trace the journey and evolution to where I am today – it makes me extremely happy.

Has it been a smooth road?
I think with anything worthwhile and that I’m passionate about there are obstacles that I see and expect myself to overcome. When I first started photographing actors and models, I was pleased with the images but knew that I wanted more. I knew that I wanted there to be a more refined and specific look to the images.

So the past few years have been about figuring out how to hone in on those technical skills. Figuring out how to imagine an image in my mind and bring it to life and capture it with my camera. There is also a constant pursuit to become better at creating imagery that pulls a viewer in. Even if it only causes a person to linger a few extra moments – to really see an image I’ve made – that makes me happy. I work on and think about this everyday.

What’s the hardest part of your job?
There are so many things that I enjoy about being a photographer. It’s why I do it! If I had to put into words an aspect that I can sometimes find difficult, it would probably be to constantly press myself to come up with interesting and creative projects. There are so many image makers out there now with the cost of high-quality digital cameras coming down. Also with the popularity of social media apps, we are bombarded with imagery daily – if not hourly. So making meaningful images that make people want to slow down and look at is very important to me. I put a lot of pressure on myself to keep this at the forefront of my mind.

How do you define success?
Success is such an interesting idea. It’s a word and concept that I think most people think about and define very differently. To me, success is being happy and being able to create work and images that I’m proud of and want as many people as possible to see. I think what I truly hope for is to continue to put amazing images into my portfolio that make people think: wow, that is stunning; I would love to have an image like that in my look book!

When I have people consistently contacting me with a request similar to that, that’s when I think I will feel as though I’ve reached a level of success that I can enjoy.

So, what’s next? Any big plans?
Right now my plans are to stay in Los Angeles, continue to hone my craft through taking more photography classes at UCLA and make imagery that evokes emotions out of people. Whether that be happiness, sadness, lust, or anger – getting an emotion out of people is truly something I strive for with my photography.

As far as bigger changes, I’m looking forward to getting married to my wonderful fiancé next summer and having 2017 be the year that we purchase a house. While I am able to pull off some pretty amazing photography magic shooting in my apartment and neighborhood, I think having a private yard and pool will be a canvas and backdrop that allows me to make even more memorable images.
Life is really good overall, though. I am learning all the time to enjoy the here and now more and more!

Pricing:

• 1 Hour Headshot Shoot is $175 and includes two edited photos.
• 2 Hour Headshot Shoot is $225 and includes four edited photos.
• Custom Shoots for portfolios, ad campaigns, etc. vary depending on details.

Contact Info:

• Website: shotbystephenjames.com
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: instagram.com/shotbystephenjames
• Facebook: facebook.com/shotbystephenjames