Born in Glasgow, Scotland 1968. I spent my early years growing up in Dunbeg, Oban, before moving back to the Glasgow area at the age of 10. Left school at the age of 16, worked a few regular jobs before moving into music production in 2004 where I signed a 3-year record and artist management deal. During that period I released several tracks plus remixed music for various artists and record labels throughout the world. It was at that time I developed (no pun intended) a passion for photography. Fast forward over a decade later, I am now a full-time photographer, mostly based on my personal work, although I have photographed for various national and international clients, published booklets and showcased my work at various exhibitions and events.
With my photography, I like to find beauty in the mundane, simple things that stand out for being unremarkable, something we walk past every day without giving a second glance. I’m usually drawn toward solitude within a shot and look to portray a more subjective impression rather than a true representation of the surroundings. My usual traits are dark monochromatic shots, overlayed with textures and grain. For years I strived for perfection in my photography but now find imperfections give me the most joy. Most of my photography is impulsive but I also like to arrange and plan shoots, as with my ‘In Search of Red’ series. I also like to work with mixed media, searching out old black and white images and juxtaposition with modern images or materials. Influences come from photographers such as Rodney Smith, Daido Moriyama, Jungjin Lee, Chris Friel, Igor Posner, Birdhead and Takuma Nakahira, as well as American Abstract Expressionist painters of the 1940s and 1950s, in particular, Franz Kline. I’m also a huge fan of the artist, John Baldessari.
I once read a quote by Danish-French Impressionist painter, Camille Pissarro, on a wall at Kelvingrove Art Gallery, Glasgow. It read – Blessed are they who see beautiful things in humble places where other people see nothing. It meant a lot and still does. Now and again I still write music, read lots of books, drink far too much coffee and procrastinate at least once a week.
James McGeachan