Today we’d like to introduce you to James Taylor.
James, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I always loved taking photos but was never very good at it. I originally thought that was because I needed a better camera, which I think is something a lot of photographers go through. I bought my first detachable lens DSLR from Best Buy and there was no turning back. Ironically, it was NOT the camera that made me bad, that was ALL me. Now I’ve been doing it almost 15 years and I’m so happy to still enjoy it. Adding videography the last few years has really re-awakened my creative passion, I’ve enjoyed it so much alongside my normal photography. I’m still not very good, but at least I’m learning from the years of being bad!
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Oh no, not a smooth road at all. I still struggle to this day with imposter syndrome, with being shy around people with a camera (even though I’m the one holding it!) and comparing myself to others who are SO much better. I doubt I’m the only one with these struggles, but they are mine. It’s difficult to keep investing money and time when people doubt you, or tell you to give it up, all those cliche things of growing a business and a passion. I’ve had some very important and loved people encouraging me along the way, without that I would have given up a long time ago. I’ve done all the rookie mistakes too, dropping gear, forgetting memory cards, formatting cards on accident, getting dates of gigs mixed up, delivering the wrong clients’ material, etc etc…those can be fun stories to tell. .If anything I can at least tell people what NOT to do! They are all part of the journey though, necessary and all included.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I think I really carved a name out for myself the last few years as a live event photographer, particularly live music. Music is so important to my personal life, it only makes sense I would enjoy capturing that live in my professional work. I love low light and the complexities that come with that niche of photography, especially under lights, artists moving around on stage, the audience feeling the music, etc. As I said, I’ve started doing video too, and that has really been so fulfilling to me. I’m hoping to get into mini-docs, short stories and films that tell stories I feel need to be told, or will make people feel. I’m big on the emotion of whatever I’m capturing, which I think is what drove me initially to live music photography. Ever single person in a venue is feeling SOMETHING during that show, whether its good, bad, deep, fleeting, soul level or just skin level, everything is feeling at a live show. People can rarely hide that, and even then I can usually catch people the brief time they let themselves surrender to it. Those fleeting moments, the looks, the feelings, I think really matter in life. They are powerful for a reason. If I can capture that and keep returning it to you when you look at my work, I feel like I did my job. It’s the only work that basically involves time travel, right? I can keep giving you a feeling, years and years later, from something you look at. Thats powerful, and in my mind, an honor to some degree.
Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
Oh I can be a risk taker, but I’m way too analytical to take any just off the cuff. I’d say that is something I probably need to loosen up on a bit honestly, sometimes I don’t take enough risks and miss opportunities. It’s a tough gauge, especially at first. You’re dealing with really expensive equipment, usually all personally bought and invested in, and then you combine that with important life events you might be capturing (weddings, graduation, etc), and there’s a lot of risk for everyone involved. Gear is especially tough, there’s not many people in the game who will let you borrow a camera or lens to try out before you go spend $3k on one yourself.
I think in the end, your heart knows if the risk is worth it. In that instance, if your heart is in it, then pull the trigger and go for it. If it works, great, and if it doesn’t, then at least you tried. Don’t discount your heart and your gut when a passion is involved.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.thedreamexperiment.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_dream_experiment
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dreamexperiment/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCg3lwzJo-30WQkp4d2NKPRw
Image Credits
All photos are my own
