James Wales grew up on Long Island in a humble home with the bare essentials, never traveling more than 30 miles from his home. At nine years old James was given a camera. He shot one roll of film through it, and his father took it away as the family could not afford film.

Decades later, after abandoning his creative passion, James flew to Turkiye with two film cameras and the intent of becoming a photojournalist. Traveling across the country, he gathered back pieces of himself that he lost over years. He rediscovered his own creativity alongside the rich spirit among communities of people who knew economic hardship but knew vibrant lives. He found the butcher, the priest, and families whose identity and culture wasn’t attached to materiality and commerce.

James continues to work as a photographer and essayist with a studio in the heart of midtown Manhattan. His work remains grounded in his first encounters with the camera: his love for film photography and vigor to document & share the vibrant meaning of life.