My name is James but most people call me by my surname, Graham. I am a British photographer, videographer, and wildlife enthusiast based in Australia, currently writing and producing a series of Ocean themed documentaries due to launch in 2025.
I grew up with an insatiable appetite for all things Ocean, and fondly remember tuning in to watch each episode of the BBC’s Blue Planet when it aired back in 2001. Sir David Attenborough guiding us through ‘The Deep’ still feels as contemporary now as it did 20+ years ago, and this series continues to inspire me to this day.
Skip forwards 10 years to find me splashing down into the Pacific Ocean, physically shaking with both fear and excitement as I met my first Humpback Whale. I was confident and unskilled – a land-locked London boy wading out of his depth – but as I looked into that whale’s eyes for the first time, I noticed that it was looking right back at me. And whatever feeling that was, I wanted a whole lot more of it.
I’d soon return to work at Deep Blue Diving Tonga as a Humpback Whale snorkel guide, where I gained my Open Water Scuba certificate. I shadowed the late great sea captain, Samuela Tatafu, who taught me how to truly connect with the Ocean. We met a lot of whales that year, and my only regret was not owning an underwater camera system to capture those special moments.
I bought my first Ikelite housing in 2018 after relocating to Sydney, and travelled as much possible to photograph marine megafauna. I was slow to realise what I had on my doorstep, spending a lot of time exploring overseas, and it would take a global pandemic for me to appreciate that I had everything I needed inside a 5km radius from my house.
I was working from home in near-isolation for the next two years, and would amass two or three night dives per week to “clean the brain” as my dive buddy would always say. I bought my first Macro lens in 2021, and completed my Divemaster certification once the lockdowns had lifted. I was now qualified – free to do whatever I wanted – and what I wanted to do was continue Scuba Diving inside that 5km radius.
Macro Photography became the primary objective, and I started experimenting with a Frankenstein-esque combination of filters and diopters stacked inside Ikelite’s 5” flat port, using a step-up ring as a makeshift filter tray. I tried variations of this monstrosity for over a year without conceding, and my best guess is that I missed over 99% of shots taken, with the odd miracle of in-focus and not-terrible composition landing on the camera’s sensor.
The experimental phase ran aground when I relocated to Brisbane in 2023, and decided to turn all of my attention to the latest challenge; Macro Videography. And while I have certainly jumped around over the years to find the perfect outlet, I can wholeheartedly say that Macro Videography is what I was looking for all along, and where you’ll find me for the foreseeable future – hanging out with the shrimps and the slugs.
Connect with James
- Website: www.with-graham.com
- Instagram: @withgraham
- Email: withgraham@hotmail.com
