It’s a photography thing

Christopher James is an up-and-coming photographer and is set to hold several exhibitions in 2010. The Star caught with the snapper for a quick chat.

SSO: For people unaware of Christopher James Photography, what is it?
CJ: A performance artist, Christopher James is a caricature. Photography is the chosen means of both his vision and expression. The product is an avant-garde approach to a still image using digital manipulation.
SSO: Why photography?
CJ: Since I can remember I have been inspired by the likes of Norman Mailer, Cecil Beaton and Andy Warhol. I consider editorial-inspired photographs the epitome of beauty and was first drawn to photography through this when studying at FBI Fashion College, Sydney.
SSO: What’s your aim as a photographer?
CJ: I aspire to evoke an emotion good and/or good in pushing the boundaries of beauty. Cecil Beaton once said, “Be daring, be different, be impractical, be anything that will assert integrity of purpose and imaginative vision against the play-it-safers, the creatures of the commonplace, the slaves of the ordinary.”
SSO: What do you try and capture in your images?
CJ: A story. An image for even a single second should capture the soul. Make you think.
SSO: What are your plans for 2010?
CJ: I have three exhibitions scheduled in 2010. The first is ‘THE COMIC BOOK: An editorial’ coming in February (date to be confirmed). It will feature five ‘super’ women in areas of sex, money, power, love and deception.
SSO: Would you like to share your photography with the gay and lesbian community? How?
CJ: I photograph to create a message I feel is relevant to the gay and lesbian community. The message is simple, to express yourself beyond the realms of convention. Being a society that has been shocked and rocked with its boundaries stretched beyond recognition it seems today the real headliner is being yourself.
SSO: Do you offer services to the general public?
CJ: I provide both an airbrushing and portfolio service to aspiring models, actors and for personal use.
SSO: Anything you would like to say or push?
CJ: I would love to hear from you, your interpretations and thoughts. I am purely the designer — the product was made for you.
SSO: How can people contact you?
CJ: Visit www.christopherjamesphotography.com.au or, better yet, add me, Christopher James, to Facebook. I look forward to meeting you.