James Needham is an Australian photographer currently residing in New York City. We featured a series of his images on the @worldphotoorg feed. Read on below to find out more about his work and philosophy.
Hi James. Please introduce your self and tell us a little about your photography
Hello, I am James Needham, a photographer who secretly wishes he was a painter instead. I started pursuing a style of photography based on the urban landscape paintings of Jeffrey Smart, Edward Hopper, Rick Amor and Ben Mclaughlin. A single figure or vehicle is dwarfed by the towering structures of the city, a visual style sometimes referred to as urban loneliness.
Tell us more about the series of images we featured. Do you have a favourite, and why?
The images featured are from a few different series. The latest coming from a shooting trip to Mallorca (The single palm tree behind the fruit advertisement) the endless blue Spanish sky and the washed out muted tones of the cities made for some great shots.
Why photography? What does the medium mean to you?
I think the most interesting thing about viewing any sort of visual media is how the person who created it chooses to frame their subject. There is a limited amount of space within a viewfinder and what you choose to fill it with says a lot about you and what you were feeling during that time. It’s like a Rorschach test that you create yourself.
Do you have a photographic philosophy?
The subject of my work varies a lot but the aesthetic is the connecting tissue. I’m interested in lines and shape and colour, those are my philosophy.
What inspires you?
I'm inspired by film and paintings more than other photographers. I like to translate the aspects of those mediums into photography. The careful composition of a painting and the storytelling of film.
Where in the world are you and what's next?
I'm currently in New York and a road trip across America is next on my list. Get in a car in New York and weave my way to the Pacific Ocean. I’ve been on smaller trips but the coast to coast adventure is certainly a must one of these days.
