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About me


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About me


On location with an amazing couple. Probably talking about tacos in between shots. Photo by Nate Nadeau

A while back a kid picked up a camera and, well, you probably know the rest. 

My name is James Young and amongst many hats, I am a professional wedding and portrait photographer local to the Bay Area in Northern California.

In my photography career I have photographed over 100 weddings, conducted thousands of photo sessions, and worked with hundreds of brands. Throughout my career, I have been able to photograph, produce, and deliver over 60,000 photographs to happy clients.

My work has been published in 18 different magazines including the COVER of Real Weddings Magazine. I’ll be honest with you, bragging about my accolades, awards and accomplishments is pretty awkward. I’ll let my work continue to speak for itself.

Published on the cover of Real Weddings Magazine. Photo by Darrian Dewald — www.DarrianDewald.com

I am a geek and storyteller at heart. From my childhood, I love all things tech and can probably put you to sleep three times over explaining to you in depth various questions about computers, cameras, and other technologies you'll wish you hadn't asked about. I am a lover all things Apple!  Seriously, if you give me a cup of coffee, I can talk your ear off.

Aside from photography, music is deepest passion. I actually studied Music Education in College! Everything from the physical act of writing music to when an artist is commanding a crowd on stage, my love for music is a deep as my love for photography. Going to concerts and singing along live to my favorite artists is one of the only things that makes me feel as alive as when I am taking photos.

My girlfriend, Meaghan Gutierrez and I at a concert for one of our favorite artists — Russ. Fun fact, this was actually our first date!

One interest that started in early 2019 is health and fitness. Since 2019 I have lost over 100 pounds. My health and taking care of my body has become a huge part of my life. Before 2019 I struggled with obesity and body confidence issues my entire life. I am familiar with all of the feels associated with being self conscious in front of the camera and in day to day life.

Over the last few years, I have grown more and more in love with my ever evolving body. While I have maintained keeping the weight off for about 4 years now, my mental health battles with body dysmorphia and self love are a daily battle in which I continue doing the deep personal work and talk therapy to grow.

On the left - 2018 and almost 300 pounds. On the right - 2022 at 195 pounds

One of my favorite aspects of my approach to photography is I help my clients see how worthy they are. I show my clients how I see them, as a work of art. Everyone is worthy, regardless of size, shape, skin color, race, religion, creed, or sexual orientation. My photography experience is inclusive.

I do my best to always remind my clients — All the photos of people you see from me are people just like you and me. A lot of us struggle with being in front of the camera. It can be a very intimidating process. The way I interact, get to know and direct my clients makes photo sessions fun, full of confidence, spontaneous, and the photos become cherished by entire families.

Image By Matt Mort — https://www.instagram.com/mattymort_

If you read through the page and you got here, let me know when you contact me and I will give you five percent off your session fee as a way of thanking you for taking the time to read a little bit about myself. I truly appreciate the value of connecting with my clients and if you took the time to read about me, I can tell we are destined to have a great experience together.

In addition to this website, I encourage you to find me on my various social media outlets. Keeping up with my Instagram and Facebook are the best ways to stay up to date on my latest shenanigans!

I am looking forward to hearing from you!

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Let's Connect!


Let's Connect!


 

I am very excited to hear from you.

 

Let's get a conversation started!  Fill out the form below and once you hit submit, you will have direct access to my calendar where you can tell me exactly when I can give you a call so we can get connected.