Today we’d like to introduce you to James Ferrara.
Hi James, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
James is a professional underwater photographer, who specializes creating fine art prints. He is 41 years old, grew up on the East Coast of South Florida and now resides in Lauderdale by the Sea. James spent his childhood fishing and diving, which instilled in him a deep love for the ocean. His photography journey started 8 years ago, with the purchase of his first camera, and a desire to create beautiful imagery. James believe’s he gets his eye for composition and his passion for photography from his mother who is an accomplished artist. James is self taught and has travelled the world in pursuit of some of the most sought after marine life there is. Even though he is most passionate about underwater photography, James enjoys shooting milky way, landscape, surf, and bird photography as well. In James’s short photography journey, he has received “Highly Commended” Honors in some of the world’s most prestigious underwater photo competitions. He has also been published by National Geographic, BBC Earth, and Discovery on multiple occasions. James recently was just invited to have his photos on display at Art Basel Paris. When James is not traveling or shooting photos, you can find him in the kitchen cooking, dabbling with woodworking, or training as a Freediver. He also has worked as a career Firefighter/Paramedic with Martin County Fire Rescue, for the past 17 years. James continues to travel locally and across the globe in hopes of creating breathtaking images of the world’s most beautiful marine inhabitants.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Fortunately I have been lucky to have a very good primary career as a firefighter paramedic. My shift schedule allows me to travel quite often for photography opportunities. Having a steady income also allowed me to slowly build up my photography business and style that I have come to be known by.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am most known for my underwater photography of marine life. I think what sets me apart from other artists is my editing style. I pride myself on very clean images that are vibrant in color. I am most honored to have been invited to Art Basel in Paris. This is a huge artistic stage to be on and hopefully it will open up many more opportunities for the future and allow a new audience to see my work. Even though I have been honored in some of the worlds biggest underwater photography competitions, I hope to one day be lucky enough to Win one of these competitions.
So, before we go, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you? How can they support you?
my website/print shop will be live later this spring, until then the best was to contact me in through instagram or through email to purchase prints or hire for photography jobs.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.jferraragallery.com
- Instagram: @jferraragallery
- Facebook: J Ferrara Gallery
- Other: email- jferraragallery@gmail.com
Image Credits
James Ferrara J Ferrara Gallery
