crossworldsinHawai'i_EN

James

Back in Tampa, Florida, where he was born and raised, James was a DJ for a radio station. He studied recording engineering but has always been passionate about photography. He started taking pictures at the age of three! Before moving to Hawaiʻi about ten years ago he thought of the island of Oʻahu as a wild and quiet place. He secretly dreamed of living in a grass hut. Seeing this overdeveloped and hectic island was an instant shock for him. He now lives in Kaneohe and has seen it under construction ever since he arrived. Another shock for him was to see how nice and friendly people are, and that made him feel immediately welcome and at home.

He became a self-taught professional photographer about eight years ago. Even though people here appreciate and support local artists, very few of them can make a living out of their work. James does commercial photography but he wishes he could focus entirely on his community-oriented projects. In 2006 and 2007 during the Breast Cancer Awareness Month of October, James was invited to present his work at a gallery. He decided to make portraits of 23 women fighting breast cancer. Thanks to him, those women felt beautiful again and in 2008 a book called "The Survivor Spirit: The Beauty, Passion, and Power of Breast Cancer Survivors" came out of this project. The Kapiʻolani Hospital sponsored it and gets a share of the profits in return. James stays in touch with these women on Facebook, via emails or by having lunch with them. You should see James’ eyes sparkling when he mentions that the women of the project laugh and hug like teenagers when they meet each other! This project was, and still is, very important for the community by helping and inspiring people in similar situations. Did you know that men could suffer from breast cancer, too? Even though such a project takes lots of energy and time, James wants to devote his career to similar topics. He is now working with children diagnosed with terminal illnesses, and their families. He plans on making a movie about his work to get the children involved in the process in a fun way.

James has three children who are thirteen, five and two years old. The middle one is following his father’s footsteps taking pictures of everything. James likes to draw or enjoy a cup of coffee on the beautiful and inspiring beach of Lanikai.

If you want to learn more about his work, visit his website.

James, mahalo for sharing your aloha with us!