The Olms
Jim graduated from the Art Institute of Philadelphia
and had dreams of moving to the West Coast. Like
many photography students he also had dreams of
working for Herb Ritts, but he made it a reality. In his
early days Jim also interned for people like Matthew
Rolston and Helmut Newton, but caught his big break
working with Peggy Sirota who shot for Vanity Fair and
Rolling Stone. At the time Peggy was really starting to
hit her stride in the advertising world. He started out
as third assistant and ended up working for her for five
years. While working for Peggy, Jim also took
freelance jobs for Venice Magazine, a smaller community
magazine but with a high caliber of talent.
He admits that working for Peggy and freelancing for
Venice really kick-started his career by meeting a
number of industry players.
When Jim decided to go out on his own in 1998, he
knew the kind of artist and photographer he wanted
to be and it shows in his work. With the shift from
models on the covers of magazines to celebrities, Jim’s
celebrity shoots took off.
One of the most intriguing things behind James’
photography is the way he approaches shoots with
his clientele. In the beginning of his solo career Jim
focused his work on music and fashion catalogue and
print campaigns. “When you can get the talent in a
situation where they are comfortable, that is going to
come through in the pictures,” Jim states. But unlike
many photographers who focus on their vision of a
shoot, Jim strived to bring his subjects to the forefront
of the image through showcasing as much of their
personalities as possible. He adds, “I want to go the
opposite place. I want to go into the artist; I don’t want
the artist to come into me. But maybe they are one in
the same. Maybe them coming into my world is me
going into theirs.”