I was born in Santiago, Chile, and grew up in Northern Virginia in a town equidistant from Washington, D.C. to the east, and rural natural beauty to the west. My father was a new immigrant, while my mother could trace her American roots back hundreds of years. My parents were of two different religions.

I see echoes of my upbringing in the subjects that hold my interest as a photographer today. I’m drawn to fulcrum points or boundaries where different people, cultures, or environments meet and mix. I love photographing places and communities that have found ways of resisting the forces of homogenization and conformity. My practice is mostly as a wanderer and searcher. I go where the light draws me and look for the different potentials and predicaments of each area I pass through. I love exploring small enclaves in big cities and finding unfamiliar perspectives on familiar subjects. My approach is mostly an oblique one - focusing on borders, details, and fragments.

I am also in love with people and portraiture, and here my goal shifts from oblique exteriors to trying to connect with interiority - whether that’s through a direct gaze, photographing gesture, or finding moments of thoughtful introspection.

I'm currently based in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. My work has been published in The New York Times, Lenscratch, Musée Magazine, SHOTS Magazine, USAToday.com, VICE TV, Boston.com, Timeout.com, Gothamist, and shown in galleries across the United States and in Germany.

I’m the founder and editor of NYC Photo Community, a website, weekly email newsletter, and Instagram that collects and shares info on photo talks, events, exhibitions, stories, and workshops going on in the city and the larger photo community.

I’ve done regular guest lectures at the University of Vermont on the ethics of Street Photography and have taught online photography classes for Strudelmedia Live.

When I’m not out making pictures, I like to get hands-on with sculptural assemblages. Have a look: Object Poems.

Questions or Comments?

•Email me: james@nycphotocommunity.com or send me a note using the form below.

•Call or Text me at (732) 739-7414

•Connect with me on Instagram | Connect with me on Twitter. I'd love to hear from you.

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