About and Contact

Early on

Growing up, I never questioned what I saw in images.  However, I knew there was more to it that I could see.  As I grew older, I became fascinated with technology, as most kids do.  However, this was a different fascination.  I loved how images were able to transform a moment by bringing life to a story that was being told.  So the camera became more fascinating for me.  This grew even stronger when my mom brought home the coolest camera.  This was the most state-of-the-art 35mm camera.  Not only did it have so many buttons to push, the part that made me so infatuated by it was the remote control that slid out from the side and served one purpose; the original selfie.

Around the same time, I also found a Polaroid Sun 600 camera.  Not entirely sure where I found it, but it was likely at my either of my grandparents' house.  My grandparents on my dad side always had the coolest gadgets and trinkets, but so did my my grandparents on my mom's side.  This could have been from anywhere, but I remember how many time everyone told me to "not waste a picture".  This is probably the reason I didn't take too many polaroid pictures when I was younger.  

Although I don't remember the brand of the 35 mm camera, I remember using that camera for hours.  Days, even.  I remember going through rolls of film that I would beg my mom to develop.  Most of the pictures I’d mange to get were of the campground we visited often in Durango, CO, or the trees in the courtyard of our apartment complex that we lived.  Please trust me when I say the images were nothing short of basic.  They had no purpose behind them other than using the camera and saving a moment for later.

As I grew older, the 35 mm camera slid into the drawer with the Polaroid.  Thereafter, neither managed much in the way of pictures because early digital point-and-shoot cameras were becoming more and more popular, available, and affordable.  My transition to digital photography was almost immediate because, as a kid, you use what your parents have available.  Going into middle school, my dad had an Olympus Camedia digital camera that I could immediately see the pictures I was taking.  I was hooked.  Anytime my dad would take us somewhere and he had his camera, I was the one taking the pictures. 

The Onset of Mobile

The digital camera was in its early stages, but the technology was getting better, stronger, faster, cheaper, and most importantly, smaller. This was another passion of mine.  As technology became smaller, the cellphone was becoming more jam packed with features.  I watched through the early years of high school when kids were getting cellphones and I watched and waited impatiently.  This wait didn’t last because my parents loved the idea of my sister and I having a cell phone. 

My sister and I were in the same grade, but she’s older.  We were so close in age that we rarely dealt with the older sibling getting something before the other.  The cell phone was no different.  While in 8th grade, my dad got my sister her first cell phone.  At the same time, my dad got me an AOL Communicator, which was the portable way to use AOL Instant messenger.  This changed going into 9th grade. My parents were more comfortable with me having a cellphone than an instant messenger.  So, my dad got me my first Cellphone.  A Go-Phone from Cingular.  The phone was not the best, but at the time, it was amazing.  But it didn’t have a camera.  But there was one to by for it and attach to the cellphone.  With that little attachable camera, I was hooked. 

My obsession with camera’s grew even faster with cellphones and smartphones.  This was fueled by my dad working with a wireless carrier and getting the latest and greatest phones every year.  After my Go-Phone, I’ve had nearly every make and model, including the world-changing Mortorola Razr.  This led to my favorite phone of the time, the Motorola V360, which sported a 128 Mb (not GB) TransFlash (microSD) card for the VGA camera.  This was HUGE!  I had a camera in my pocket that was able to send pictures to other people and I didn’t have to wait to print them. 

The boom of Social Media

That transition leads directly into the era of Social Media and the Blackberry.  As one of the earliest entrants into the race, RIM’s blackberry Pearl was a game-changer.  Of course, I had to have it.  Luckily, my dad didn’t want a new phone, so the Pearl was mine to be had.  I loved every minute of it.  The camera was the biggest draw because, along with digital technology, my phone’s camera was amazing.  I could take hundreds of pictures without having to wait to develop them or connect to my computer.  I could save and share them to MySpace as quickly as I could take them.  But that’s where it changed.

Social media began to draw more focus to pictures.  And people noticed.  The goal was evolving from take and share, to take quality and share quality.  After high school and in the early years of college, I had so many different smartphones that it was became a running joke.  But the one thing that didn’t change was the need for the best camera.  So the smartphone was the secondary aspect to the camera.  Because manufacturers weren’t keen on focusing on the camera alone, incremental improvements in the camera led to my decision to purchase my first DSLR. 

DSLR

One thing that may have been overshadowed is the amount of research that went into every new smartphone I owned.  I knew all the benefits, the drawbacks, and I was aware at the portions that I knew would cause heartburn.  A new camera was no different.  I spent months reviewing different DSLR’s; Cannon, Nikon, Sony.  I read and researched more and more about the features I’d likely need and/ or want.  I learned about F-stops and aperture and how they were important to the camera itself.  I evaluated price and product, as well as future life.  In the end, in late 2014, after relying solely on smartphone cameras until then, I chose my first DSLR; a Nikon D3300.  It was an entry level 24-megapixel shooter that was packed with the extra features I wanted to learn but was skeptical to spend too much on.

From then on, the paired adventure of smartphone camera for quick and reliable social media shots and my DSLR for structured, composed shots grew even more.  I was using my camera more and more.  Learning new techniques that would allow me to finally capture the style of photographs I’d wanted to for so long.  Learning how to incorporate off-camera flash with silhouettes and long exposures for streaking lights.  These features were amazing, and became the focus of smartphone manufactures that were eager to appease their customers wanting more features on the camera.

Now

This trend has not stopped my love of new technology.  I’ve cycled through smartphones to have the latest and greatest camera offered.  I’ve had countless point and shoot’s that are fun but are not the same as my DSLR.  My current camera bag still has my faithful D3300 and my Nikon Z5 Mirrorless, but includes many others.  I've also relied heavily on my DJI's Mavic Air 2, OSMO Action, and various other cameras and equipment.   As it stands today, I’m currently using a Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 as my everyday smartphone.  Because I use so many different pieces of equipment, I’ve made a habit of not sharing which camera I used to take a picture.  I am proof that the equipment doesn’t make the photograph; the Substance II the photograph makes the photograph. 

We're working on James' bio.  In the meantime, feel free to check out CoyotWiley.com to see all of the remodeling work.