James Harris

James Harris Photography

James's photography journey started back in 1965 with a simple birthday gift from his dad: A Kodak Instamatic. The moment he saw his first roll of film come back from the lab, something ignited in him. James has been chasing light, landscapes, and that feeling ever since.

James turned professional in 1978 with an assignment from the National Park Service in Utah, and from there the adventure really began. In the ’80s, James spent countless hours under a dark cloth working with a Linhof Technika 4x5 view camera across California—slow, deliberate, and incredibly rewarding. As the years rolled on, James moved through a variety of 35mm film cameras before eventually stepping into the digital world.

Like many photographers, James had his doubts about those early DSLRs—but curiosity won out. James stuck with it, adapted, and watched the technology grow into something pretty amazing. Today, James shoots with a Nikon D850, but at heart, it’s still the same excitement he felt as a kid opening that first envelope of prints.

James is the current president of the Professional Photographers Guild of Colorado Springs for 2026–2027.