Photographer, James Phelps, Fights The Stigma Against Representation Of Plus Size Models, One Shoot At A Time
Please introduce yourself, what you do, why you do it, and what you want people to know about you.
Hello, I’m James Phelps, I have over 10 yrs of shoot experience with many magazine features and covers. With over 100,000 IG fans and over a million Facebook fans. My photography has been at the forefront of plus and curvy model genre imagery. To see even more of my work visit my website www.jpphotosbyphelps.com
What qualities make you different and unique from everyone else in the industry?
When I do my shoots, I make sure to use our time wisely with dynamic imagery to get your images seen by someone who can help you to reach your career goals. What’s the use of good photos if they aren’t helping you reach your full potential?
There are photographers who treat plus-size clients as a secret never posting their work on social media or their website but have no problem taking their money. I celebrate every model I shoot with and proudly represent them on all forms of media. Respect those as you want to be respected.
Describe THAT moment when you realized you wanted to do what you do now. Who did you tell first? What has it been like since that moment?
Honestly, I don’t know… I just knew the more I did photography and the more I saw how the joy would spread across their (model or client)‘s face as they saw their final images from the shoot.
Seeing themselves as they had always imagined but others or the self don’t keep them from believing it could be possible.
What has been the biggest challenge you’ve had to face and how did you overcome it?
Having cerebral palsy I felt the mobile limitations might cause models and companies to doubt my ability to create professional-level imagery. The only way to overcome this was to create consistent work, have a great work reputation, and make sure that I leave clients looking to work with me again.
If you had to pick the TOP 3 people you’d want to meet that could take your career (or business) to the next level…who would those 3 people be?
Elon Musk ( being a business mogul, social media influencer), Ashley Graham ( her plus model status and representation and Annie Leibowitz (to learn how she focused her vision into museum level photos)