Building his roots in photography working as a Reuter’s photographer in Africa, he covered almost the entire continent before moving back to the UK to work as the photographer for Capital Radio in London. He spent most of the 1990’s photographing the elite of the music industry, such as Prince, Bon Jovi, and Madonna, travelling all over the world in the process. "I love the challenge of photographing people. Some may have huge egos, some may not speak my language, and some may not want their photo taken at all. Mind-managing these people and overcoming problems is all part of what I love doing in order to get the image I am after."

James lectures for the Royal Photographic Society in London, and also hosts workshops on street photography. He undertakes a range of commercial work from some of the world’s most recognisable companies such as Microsoft, Panasonic, and Vodafone to name just a few.