Meet James Woodley of James Woodley Photography

Today we’d like to introduce you to James Woodley.

Thanks for sharing your story with us James. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I was born in London, England and moved to the U.S. in 2009, settling in Miami, FL. I previously worked in the standard 9-5, corporate America role, however, have always been a creative person at heart. Photography was a “point-and-shoot” process at the time, without a great deal of thought. In late 2010, I was asked to help a friend take photos at an event. Never having photographed anything before with a specific purpose in mind, I instantly caught ‘the bug’ and began to explore the medium of photography.

Following that came self-teaching, experimentation and spending too much money on equipment, but most of all, dreaming. Soon after, I landed my first paying job. The check was only $125 but it was one of the most exciting moments of my life. I continued to work at my day job, whilst working evenings and weekends on my craft.

I developed a fascination with freezing action using lighting techniques and perfect timing. Some of my early experiments involved myself as the model and photographer, as I had no one else to work with. I would do things like slashing water balloons, throwing punches with my hand covered in baking flour, or running on the beach in a suit; all while holding my camera remote trigger in my other hand, attempting to time everything perfectly.

This is when I developed my fascination with athletes and photographing them. My idol became Chase Jarvis, possibly one of the most successful and celebrated commercial photographers of the past decade. He’s worked with some of the greatest athletes in history and created images that were nothing short of awe-inspiring. My style, lighting and artistic visions are greatly inspired by his work.

Over the following years, I continued to push myself, always trying to better my previous shoot and fiercely critiquing my own work while constantly trying to learn new skills and techniques. Today, I’m fortunate enough to have worked with brands such as Christian Louboutin, Perry Ellis and MHP Nutrition, as well as celebrities such as Nick Cannon and Venus Williams.

Has it been a smooth road?
Becoming successful in a creative business is never an easy thing.

At the beginning, you think to yourself, “this is great, I pick up my camera and take some pictures. People will pay me to do what I love because I’m good at it”. Well, this could not be further from the truth.

One of the greatest hurdles is the ease of access to this medium, due to advances in technology (A.K.A, the digital camera.) Back in the good ol’ days, film was the way to take a photo and it was a long, difficult and expensive process to develop the negatives. For this reason, not many people could take it up as a profession. Now, you can buy a digital camera and lens for as little as a thousand dollars or go on eBay and a few hundred bucks can get you going. You can also just hit “delete” when you make a mistake. There’s no additional cost. This causes market saturation (meaning anyone can be a “photographer”) in turn, driving prices down, even to the point of people expecting professionals to work for free!

I recently saw an online advertisement searching for a photographer to shoot their cousin’s wedding. They casually offered to either pick-up the photographer or pay their gas money. This is insane to me! However, people WILL work for free or for an extremely low rate. I don’t want to be a hypocrite. I have worked for very cheap, but never for free. I look back at those photos now, though, and they just plain suck.

I know I had to start somewhere and those early experiences and struggles are what shaped me and taught me valuable lessons: learning to value my work, be comfortable in [politely] educating clients on the merits of quality -vs- a low price and the courage to say “no” if I don’t think a proposal is fair or worth my time. I have quoted clients in the past who’ve told me my rates exceeded their budget. They would find someone at a fraction of the price, then end up coming back because what they received for that low price, was not of a high enough standard.

We’d love to hear more about your business.
I pride ‘James Woodley Photography’ on not being “pigeon-holed” into a specific genre.

I shoot most types of images; fashion, interior/architecture, products, portraits, composite etc., but what I am most known for is my sports and athletic photography. I have been fortunate enough to work with some amazing athletes. From NFL stars, bodybuilding champions, and grand master black belt martial arts senseis to fitness enthusiasts who have perfected their physique and want to preserve it forever with an image.

I recently worked with a 55-year-old man who had just competed in his first bodybuilding tournament. He genuinely had one of the most amazing physiques I’d seen and at his age, it was an incredible accomplishment. As I began photographing and he saw the results on the laptop, his eyes started tearing up and he kept thanking me.

The power of a photograph is incredible, it really is currently the only way to perfectly freeze a moment in time to be saved forever. This is something that gives me a constant feeling of pride.

What I believe sets me apart from others is the speed at which I work on-set, trying to make everything as efficient and smooth as possible. My flexibility, in not only always trying to get the client exactly what they need, but also my ability to shoot several different genres and styles. This makes me a ‘one-stop-shop’ for my client’s photo needs.

I am also willing to try different things for my clients that I may have never tried before. Such as digital compositing or shooting at a particularly difficult time or location. This of course takes some extra planning, but has often caused me to walk away from a shoot with some of my best images… My general mentality; “I will find a way to make it happen for you.”

Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Miami is a great place to be a photographer and the city continues to grow! There is no shortage of beautiful people in South Florida, it’s the land of perpetual summer and more people are making the jump to running their own businesses, which usually need a photographer of some sort to assist in their online and advertising efforts.

Everyone speaks of New York and Los Angeles as the best places to work as a creative professional. This is absolutely true, there are more agencies, companies and brands in these two cities than in most places in the U.S., however, L.A. & N.Y. have a ton of competition; arguably some of the best in the world. This makes landing larger contracts very difficult.

Miami is the perfect starting platform: practice, find your style, build your client base and work hard. Most parts of Miami, especially Miami Beach, embrace film and stills photography productions. A lot of city offices will provide shooting permits for free (if you have the correct insurance). Any time I’ve encountered a police officer or park ranger, who has seen my permit; allowing me to work in their patrol area, they’re always so friendly and enthusiastic about what I am doing. Some have even stopped to pose for a selfie with the models!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.jameswoodleyphotography.com
• Phone: (786) 766-8771
• Email: james@james-woodley.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jameswoodleyphoto/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jameswoodleyphoto/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/jwoodleyphoto

Image Credit:
Shireen Sandoval
George and Natalie Matthews
Menno Henselman
Claudia Sampedro
Nick Cannon
Alexandra Agro
MHP Nutrition
Allen Lee

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