We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful James Tu. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with James below.

Alright, James thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

I can distinctly remember one event that really propelled my passions for a creative profession. A bit of background – I’m a mechanical engineer by trade who spent the better part of 8 years working professionally in technical and project management roles. As you can imagine, there are some interesting moments within engineering roles, but there can also be a lack of creativity and curiosity. I took my first serious foray into photography when I purchased my first full-frame camera back in 2019, after following a few of my friends and their endeavors into Automotive photography. Over the last 5 years, I slowly began becoming more involved with automotive events and solo shoots – being given opportunities that years prior I would only dream of.

As time went on, I began to hone in on what I now realized was my deeper passion for photography – which was the art of storytelling. I found that I was more enamored with the people and the stories you could read, purely from their actions and emotions. This really culminated in a singular event where I had the opportunity to photograph newly hired interns at a Welcome Week event for the company I was working for. I noticed a central theme to the interns’ demenanor – which was a sense of excitement. You could see the look of curiosity and the thrill of a new challenge, and I did my best to capture those moments for use internally.

On one of the last days of the event, I was asked to photograph interns meetings with the CEO of the entire organization. Here I am, backstage, face-to-face with a Fortune 200 CEO and being given the honor of telling this untold story for all to see. The reception from the photos I shared along with the genuine appreciation from the executive staff instantly quelled any doubt I had about my creative future – I want to go out into the world, seek interesting moments and stories, and share them in the most beautiful way possible.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Sure thing! My name is James Tu, and I am an automotive and documentary photographer. My aim is to provide compelling photographic services in the form of capturing intimate/unique stories behind-the-scenes/on location for whatever you may have going on, and creating a lasting impression that can be shared with others to create impactful storytelling.

I primarily work with photography as my craft, but have taken up printing services to deliver tangible art into the hands of my clients. I partner with other creatives to provide filmmaking, brand building, and marketing services as well.

Organizations and individuals are more than a one-line on a page – we’re all the sum of our experiences and emotions, and that is what makes us human. What sets me apart from other photographers is the innate connection to human emotion. Anyone could learn the skill of creating “technically” excellent photos, but it takes a certain empathetic soul and eye to truly capture the feeling of moments such as the warm glow of an inspiring leader giving a speech, the tension right before the green flag falls and a race starts, the focus and determination of an athlete in their element, or the unbridled curiosity in the eyes of the next generation of young professionals.

I’m so proud and humbled by the opportunities I have had to photograph special, unique, and intimate events and people in both the automotive and corporate space. The moment when you show someone the photographs from the speech they just gave and the viscerally positive reaction guests had, or when a parent sees the raw excitement from their daughter jumping for joy when she’s sat in a top-tier race car – moments where you know you’ve delivered the beauty of humanity in one perfect image? It’s beyond anything I’ve ever felt.

If I had to let people know something about myself and my work – it would be that no story is too small to truly have their own moment to shine. I think so many people and organizations get caught up on the idea that what they’re involved with isn’t that impactful or important, and doesn’t need to be shared – and I would respectfully say they’re wrong. Humans are driven to create – we all make our own stories and impact others in meaningful ways in the things we do. It’s my honor and desire to tell those stories through my craft.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

In my opinion, I believe that society could do a better job placing emphasis on the human behind the art and recognizing art’s value in our everyday life. I’ve been fortunate to have roles in my life that have allowed me to travel all across the United States and experience a tremendous amount of different cultures and locales. What excites me is meeting other creatives and taking a moment to hear their story – why they do what they do, and what drives their creative soul. Invariably, a common thread always seems to be creating for the sake of creating – almost in a therapeutic sense.

Something in my travels also stuck out to me – a lack of arts districts and creative spaces. Of course, with the rise in costs everywhere and the ever-marching drum of consumerism, “non-essential” things such as art studios and art districts can so easily fall by the wayside. I fear this also affects the vibrant culture in certain areas as well. I think we can all do our part in not only understanding but appreciating the cultural value that artists and creatives provide, and also put more emphasis on that in our urban/environmental spaces.

Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

I wish I got involved locally with more creative spaces and groups in general! I think about social media; while beautiful in many ways, it also seems to have put up a barrier to in-person interaction and communications. I used to think I had to find my way through my creative journey purely on-line, with only close friends, or by myself – however after discovering local art collectives and within the span of only a couple months meeting incredible and inspiring creatives at weekly events, I now realize not only are there opportunities like this that exist, but others are out there looking for the same thing as well. Get out there and meet other local creatives – I promise it’ll enrich your journey as much as you will theirs!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.jamestu.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/technicolornomad/

Image Credits
All photos shared were taken by me.