James is a California native raised in Chico, Ca an outdoor enthusiast college town at the base of the Sierra Nevada Mountains in Northern Ca. James grew up exploring the outdoors by frequently hiking and biking throughout the area in which he lived. In 1990 he moved to Santa Barbara, Ca to attend college and found his new surroundings above and below the coastal American Riviera, full of adventure and visual beauty. James soon discovered the Channel Islands Marine Sanctuary while scuba diving and immediately became inspired by its natural beauty. Hiking in the Santa Barbara Foothills he explored the beauty above the waterline of local floral, fauna and scenics. James then purchased a professional 35mm camera to capture his adventures and images of nature. It did not take long for James to get photographs and stories published in magazines launching him into a photographic career documenting his travels locally and afar. Over the last 15 years, he has visited many distant locales and explored much of the U.S. documenting his travels both photographically and with 3CCD pro video cameras. James' images have appeared in numerous magazines, web pages, television series, and are sold as fine art. He continues to use his skills in photography and cinematography to capture new images and to educate others of the beautiful and unique places on earth he visits. James resides in Santa Barbara, California. He continues to hike, bike, ski, kayak, scuba dive, sail, travel and photograph his adventures in the Great Outdoors.