Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to James Ewing. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
James, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Earning a full time living from one’s creative career can be incredibly difficult. Have you been able to do so and if so, can you share some of the key parts of your journey and any important advice or lessons that might help creatives who haven’t been able to yet?
Yes I have been able to earn a living from my creative work. It was a long circuitous journey. I was always interested in photography even as a child. My father nurtured this interest by gifting me cameras and letting me use his darkroom in our basement. when it came to be time for college I expressed interest in studying architecture. I was advised against it by my uncle who was an architect and told me it was a difficult and mostly thankless profession. So I went to art school where I began to study sculpture while also enrolling in some photo courses. I met and was nurtured by Jeffrey Wolin so I decided to switch to photography as my major course of study. I was grateful to be studying at a large university with a strong art school where I could take many other courses to broaden my education. Art History and social sciences were courses I enjoyed. but truth be told as in many art schools instruction was mostly theory rather than practice and this was the mid 90s so everything was analog. After graduation I moved to Seattle where I began working as a custom color printer at a professional lab (Ivey Seright). There I found a community of photo artists. The lab generously offered employees free processing and on weekends were were allowed to use the darkrooms to print our own work with free photo paper up to a certain size. After four years in Seattle I decided to go back to school to get my MFA. I was considering teaching and becoming an academic. I attended Cranbrook Academy of Art in Michigan. I was attracted to its design history and independent paradigm. This time was formative but all theory nothing practical or technical. After many false stats I became disillusioned with an academic career. As an artist I had mostly been photographing urban landscapes and architecture. So I moved to New York and decided to try my hand at photo assisting. I sought out what I thought were the best architectural photographers working at the time in NYC. I sent them paper and email letters of intent and resumes. Assisting in NYC was the missing piece of my education. That’s where I learned the practical and technical skills to become a professional photographer. Michael Moran became a mentor and encouraged me. I stated getting some of my own clients through word of mouth and Michael who I was still assisting would give me advice about fees and licensing. By 2010 I was too busy with my own commissions to continue assisting and launched my own business. I have remained quite busy since then and my business continues to grow. I am extremely grateful for all of my teachers and mentors.
James, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I have always been sensitive space and the built environment. Initially I considered studying to become an architect but my uncle who was an architect advised me against that. I had already started earnestly exploring photography from age 10. So I studied photography at university. I was lucky to land in a school with a very good photo dept. While studying I was always drawn to shooting urban landscape and architecture. I took a four year working gap after finishing my undergrad, then I went to get myself an MFA in Photography. After all of this school I was eager to find my niche and make a career in photography. I moved to New York and decided to start assisting for architectural photographers. I learned more from assisting then I had in 8 years of academics! The photographers I assisted became mentors and friends and encouraged me to go out on my own which I have done successfully! My job is to translate the built environment into two dimensional images that illustrate the success of the architect’s work.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
Being challenged everyday to try to make the work better. Using our gifted talents to help others and live up to our full potential.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
In March of 2021 I was diagnosed with brain cancer. I had surgery to remove a large tumor, recovered from surgery, did radiation and oral chemo for the next year. I started working again as soon as I was out of the hospital. It was not an easy journey but I was determined to thrive and my work is rewarding mentally so I was eager to get back to it asap.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.jamesewingphotography.com
- Instagram: @photoewing
- Facebook: James Ewing
- Linkedin: James Ewing