I had a lengthy discussion with my friend Molaroid (who runs London Kicks ) about the state of modern photography. Lets be honest and brutal here. It’s boring as fuck. Now, I personally don’t believe it’s all down to do with the photographers themselves. A quick peek on many portfolios and you tend to see very strong, very pleasing images that you actually think “fuck, I wish I took that” – yet you go to their section of client work.. and it’s safe, mundane.. generally all looks the same. You can’t tell one band from the other usually. “Quick lads, stand in a line and all pull faces” kinda shots that don’t really push my buttons.. though I am guilty of said malpractice, I shot the Rakes for a cover for a mag in the states just like that. Oh the shame.




Generally people on the “outside” tend to think photographers, especially fashion photographers in London, make shit loads of money and generally all live the life of cobrasnake, hitting all the big parties and chillaxing with Kate Moss. It isn’t really like that I’m afraid. We generally get paid last, the least and if your lucky..well… if you are lucky you will get paid. Back in the day when magazines could get away with not paying you.. Because it was actually genuinely good exposure, have gone. Now even the smallest magazine try and pull the “it will be a great test shot opportunity” - excuse me love? I want to fucking eat thanks.




London is the worst for it, Europe much better. America are alright but generally pay less. (from my experience).




Is it the onslaught of Digital Photography that has started the slow decline of my favorite medium? I don’t fucking know, but I wouldn’t rule it out. Any Johnny come Lately right out of uni can walk into a Job by offering themselves for free. Magazine gets second rate work, Johnny gets portfolio fodder and somewhere a pro is having to shoot a look book for pennies.




There are no heroes anymore. Where are this generations Bourdins? Newtons? Mapplethorpes? – Everything looks the same. Everything is a re-hash of a re-hash and it’s got to that saturation point that I can open the pages of say.. i-D, Dazed… and nothing jumps out at me. Nothing has personality. I don’t look at a shoot and instantly recognize a signature style. I see a shoot and say to my self.. “oh.. is this a Terry shoot?” nope. Its another person that I’ve never heard of and probably not likely to see in print again.




We need heroes.

8 comment(s).

1 comment(s).

I'm currently working on my new website (about time) and I was thinking about what to have on the thing... having the 1095 on my portfolio back in 2003 was a very good choice back then and has been copied numerous times now - but it's not really enough anymore in this day and age where everything is connected and people demand information on demand, so im going to share my facebook, twitter and maybe if im crazy enough my skype. - you will be able to twitter me through naughtyjames.com.. which will probably get very annoying, but oh well, right!




Facebook Group - here (become a fan! haha)


Twitter - here


Muxtape - here

No comments yet.

I had some hack phone me this evening from (name removed) Magazine asking me to dish dirt on my old friend Peaches, who ran into a spot of bother over the weekend. I told them to bugger off before they could finish the first sentence, but afterwards I thought to myself.. how in gods name did they get my mobile phone number?? It's fairly new, and my number changers often.. I've had two since P was round my house everyday. The mind boggles.

2 comment(s).

3:18am, Monday morning.

3 comment(s).

Finally got home at 9pm on Saturday evening, from my Friday night out. I was reminded why I never go South of the river if i can help it. (the Thames) I'm tired and worn out. I had some nice emails when I got back though which put a smile back on my face, one involving a channel about music, which is all I'm saying at this moment. :) - I guess I should be enjoying my bank holiday sunday, as i wouldn't have work tommorow, though not having a nine to five job since I was nineteen has kinda taken the enjoyment off these types of holidays!

3 comment(s).

No comments yet.

I can't believe I've been doing this diary now for fifty four months, even though the "project" finished a long time ago, i'm still going to continue it.




I'm in a statistical mood.. here are some boring facts about the 1095 project -




It roughly gets 6000 hits a day. - Firefox is the browser that most people use to visit the site on their windows based machines. The top 5 countries from where the 1095 gets hits are in order - The USA, Poland, Norway, UK and France.

6 comment(s).

I finally got arround to creating a "Last fm" page.. you can find it here and add me if you so please. - NJ on LFM




Spoke with "her" until the early hours, actually raised a few laughs, which is progress I guess, just not sure what direction, or that I want to know. Half of me feels selfish, the other half.. well thats the problem, i'm not sure there is another half.


I have an exhibition in Shoreditch next friday, I say exhibition.. it's for one day only. I'm not even sure myself if it's open to the public yet? - crazy, huh. an opening and closing night all on the same day. Sounds like a pefect excuse for a piss-up.

No comments yet.

just don't celebrate it, or you will get into trouble. Hot cross bun anyone?

No comments yet.