Today we’d like to introduce you to Dominique James.
Dominique, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
My story as a professional photographer began more than 4 decades ago halfway across the globe, in the Philippines. When I was in grade school, an uncle who, at that time, was living in Georgia, visited our family in the Philippines and gifted me with my first camera. It was one of those Kodak film point-and-shoot cameras with cube flashbulb. That first sparked my interest in photography. In high school, a humanities teacher gave our class a photography assignment, handed an all-manual Canon film camera and ordered us unsupervised to a nearby historic park. I was the only one in the entire class. It seemed who was interested in taking pictures and all the while every one of my classmates went on their ways to play leaving me with the camera and the rolls of film to shoot as I please. I ended up shooting all the allotted rolls, having the grandest time.
In college, I joined the school paper, not as a photographer but as a features writer, eventually becoming the Features Editor on my senior year and becoming the Associate Editor of our batch’s yearbook. All throughout, I looked with envy at our designed staff photographer. After school, I went on to work for a footwear trade publication, became good friends with a shoe manufacturer and worked with him as a publicist. Part of the scope of my job as a publicist was to coordinate with different photographers that the company hired to create product shots. The Filipino photographers that the company hired were the best in their fields and the experience of working often and thoroughly with them served as my real learning experience in the field of professional photography. This was when I realized, more than anything, that I was in the wrong profession and what I truly wanted to do with my life. I put up my own photo studio thereafter, connected with people in the fashion, entertainment, corporate and all other similar high-profile ‘worlds,’ and eventually became recognized for my many of my works. I also started teaching photography workshops.
Through the years, my family was making plans to migrate to the United States and rather put my life on hold, I simply occupied myself with photography and made quite a success out of it. Eventually, my time to migrate came, packed my bags, headed to Georgia. Georgia has always been home to our immigrant family and while I took the opportunity to travel all across the continent during my first year. I lived out a good 5 years in New York, I moved back to Georgia to be with my family and establish a professional photography practice. I was prepared for the fact that setting up shop in Georgia doesn’t mean people will come knocking on my door. I had to start from scratch — working on all possible opportunities and avenues and angles. And that’s where I am today.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
The most challenging aspect of thriving in America was building (or rebuilding) one’s reputation as a professional photographer — from scratch. I may have made a bankable name for myself in the Philippines, but no one knows me in the USA from Tom, Dick and Harry. The trips I made within the continental US, particularly during my first year, was specifically to network with different people spanning the East and the West coasts, building on existing contacts and nurturing new ones. Living in New York for 5 years thereafter, has been marked by meeting all sorts of industry people. And being a fresh immigrant in the United States, along with learning how to ride the bus, the train and learn the value of a new currency, I have to learn how to navigate the very unfamiliar (to me at least), competitive social and economic landscape of the photography industry. Through many trials and many errors, I eventually began to “crack the code” and put myself on the path of where I wanted to go and to be.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with The Dominique James Photography Studio or “The Studio” – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
My work today as a photographer covers two main areas: commercial work and fine art. In terms of commercial work, I mostly conduct in-studio photography — with people (corporate portraiture, fashion models, actors and talents, etc.) and without people (product, food photography). In terms of fine art, I’m into black-and-white and full-color urban landscapes, among others.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
All my efforts to self-direct are with a keen eye towards both commercial and fine art photography. And while the lines between the two may seem clear, I think it can successfully diverge in meaningful ways. Knowing that, I have spent years and years honing the craft and art of photography in both the film and digital eras, while at the same time, continually keeping in step with its new developments and advances and in the process consistently producing high quality, world-class, professional, artistic, creative and dynamic body of photographic work, a humble immigrant such as myself can only hope for the touted American dream to happen sooner than later.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.dominiquejames.com
- Phone: 912-246-1131
- Email: dominiquejames@mac.com
- Instagram: @dominiquejames
- Facebook: @dominiquejames
- Twitter: @dominiquejames
- Other: www.dominiquejames.net
Image Credit:
The Dominique James Photography Studio
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