We emailed Art Buyers and Art Producers around the world asking them to submit names of established photographers who were keeping it fresh and up-and-comers who they are keeping their eye on. If you are an Art Buyer/Producer or an Art Director at an agency and want to submit a photographer anonymously for this column email: Suzanne.sease@verizon.net

Anonymous Art Producer: I nominate James Chororos

There was this amazingly thick fog covering the city one day last spring. I headed to Brooklyn Bridge Park before the sun went down to document it and I discovered this elderly couple, just sitting there in awe, watching the fog engulf Manhattan.
I walk to Manhattan from Brooklyn pretty often and on this day it was rainy and cold. I love walking in the rain. No one was out on the bridge so I was able to hang out for a while and enjoy documenting a rare quiet moment on my favorite landmark.
We were out in Colorado in the midst of a long road trip. I was lying down at our campsite looking up at this really dynamic sky when I saw her hair flying in the wind, mimicking the clouds perfectly.
I’m a big fan of this mural wall on the Bowery. They change the artwork every few weeks, and this graphic was particularly interesting to watch people walk in front of and interact with.
A portrait shot in Savannah, GA.
Much of my personal work is spent waiting for the right moment, so I was sort of hanging out in the vegetation of this park like a creep for a while before shooting this. To me, this image is a great expression of how open space sparks emotional freedom.
Looking toward Brooklyn from a vacant floor of 7 WTC.
A portrait shot in The Freedom Tunnel, which is a cool tunnel in NYC that is completely dark except for these great pockets of directional daylight.
Just a snowy, Brooklyn street portrait.
Portrait of a photographer shooting the NYC skyline from NJ.
I was recently asked by a popular brand of rum to sell the rights to this image (without the children) for a tv commercial. I thought that was funny, because to me it will always represent good, clean, childish fun, and to put this adult alteration on it just seems wrong

How many years have you been in business?

I’ve been shooting professionally full-time since last October, so less than a year.

Are you self-taught or photography school taught?

Self-Taught.

Who was your greatest influence that inspired you to get into this business?

I didn’t have many contacts in photography when I started, so for me it was about deciding whether or not to take the risk and leave my job in architecture. After about a year of preparation and networking, I got to the point where I wanted it badly enough to just go for it.

I’m always inspired by a number of different artists, architects, and filmmakers, and I deeply admire the work of Stephen Shore, Sally Mann, Alec Soth, Harry Callahan, and Alfred Stieglitz.

How do you find your inspiration to be so fresh, push the envelope, stay true to yourself so that creative folks are noticing you and hiring you?

I try hard to avoid absorbing the work of other photographers and artists as much as possible, and try even harder to avoid worrying about whether I’ll get hired for something or not. This leaves room for me to go in new directions. If my mind starts wandering, second-guessing, or if I have the urge to make comparisons, I know something isn’t right and my work is not where I want it to be just yet.

Do you find that some creatives love your work but the client holds you back?

Bringing money into the process of making any type of art always produces complex situations, but I truly believe that if you can unlock solutions to make a project work for everyone involved your work will be far better than if you could just do anything you wanted.

What are you doing to get your vision out to the buying audience?

I’m a pretty big social networker. I would assume most of the people who follow my work regularly are not potential buyers or clients, but having a regular platform and audience for my images has led to many connections within the buying population.

What is your advice for those who are showing what they think the buyers want to see?

I think that it’s best to be sought for your vision and unique perspective, not because you’ll do what others expect or want to see. Being an artist means taking a lot of risks in hopes to discover something that’s refreshing, not playing it safe.

Are you shooting for yourself and creating new work to keep your artistic talent true to you?

Always. Creating personal work is a very important part of what I do and it allows me to be extremely experimental. I think it’s necessary to be able to push your process from time to time without having to worry about how the work will be received.

How often are you shooting new work?

Every day.

James Chororos is a photographer based in Brooklyn, NY. He accepts commissions from clients in the areas of advertising, architectural photography, and portraiture. His personal work is focused on the human relationship with space, landscapes, portraiture, and urban phenomena, and is recognized for its unique use of color. His work has recently been featured on Blouin Artinfo, Ignant, Tumblr Storyboard, and The Fox Is Black. His architectural photography has been exhibited at The Architectural League of NY and published in Architectural Record, and he is planning his first solo show this summer in NY.

APE contributor Suzanne Sease currently works as a consultant for photographers and illustrators around the world. She has been involved in the photography and illustration industry since the mid 80s, after founding the art buying department at The Martin Agency then working for Kaplan-Thaler, Capital One, Best Buy and numerous smaller agencies and companies. She has a new Twitter fed with helpful marketing information.  Follow her@SuzanneSease.

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1 Comment

  1. Jame’s work is bold, emotional and insightful. He uses natural light to transfix a figure’s natural grace within the photo’s environment. This is inspirational for the viewer and bespeaks of a power beyond the lens.

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