Down a country road..... With James Stokes

Down a country road there sits a lonely old tractor. A rusted out silo. A field the color of rich butter cream wheat. In the wind the sounds of horses and critters enjoying the freedom to roam.
Down a country road children play the way we all used to.

I learned the hard way that down a country road you see Gods work raw and natural. I never thought I would miss and yearn for the country roads I traveled.

James Stokes, is a man that captures the beauty of the old country road and brings it to life. He captures the moments between two people. The Glance. The look and emotions jump from his lens to us. He has this raw ability of seeing a child's laughter and snapping the camera into action. He doesn't think he feels and moves with his eyes with his thought. He moves with his minds eye.

Here is his story, written by James Stokes......

It is hard to think of a time when I didn't have a camera in my hand. Growing up, my father had an endless supply of cameras and lenses; however, they were off limits to me. My mother on the other hand, gave me a 120 flash bulb camera that made Poloroidesk 5x5 images which came bound in a grey booklet from the developer. Many of these images were that of blurry dogs, cats, and random wildlife.  My photo journey truly begins my first year of high school; a combination of media class and a foreign exchange student from Germany changed my life forever. Furthermore, my aunt presented me with a Pentax Plus, a very nice 35mm SLR - stating that she just could not get any nice photos out of it. Well, that was a challenge I took head on. I began shooting self-portraits on a timer and photographing everyone I could get in front of my 50mm lens.

In addition to my love of taking photographs, both digital and film, I fell in love with digital art. I was able to create things in Photoshop I could only dream of creating on paper, as I was not a strong 2D artist.  I believe photography, more or less, found me. I have watched the gradual navigation from film to digital and have seen the industry come from being something very static and rooted in tradition and norms, to being something tangible and much more affordable. The learning curve has been reduced drastically with digital photography allowing photographers to practice without the fear of 'wasting' a roll of film.

After shooting my first wedding in high school, I was hooked. It was one of those things where you look back and think, "How did I do that!" I should have been more nervous, but that is the gift of adolescence - a sense of invincibility.  I must admit I have come a long way, and have taken a great deal of bad photos, but that is how we learn. Accepting our initial work as being high quality can be a costly mistake. Henri Cartier-Bresson stated that your first 10,000 photographs are your worst. Luckily for me, I took my first 10,000 nearly a decade ago. I continue to hone my craft and grow my creative eye; something I believe can both be taught and innate. A lesson I have learned over the past three years of being in business is this: those who can take 'good photos' don't necessarily make 'good business' owners and the reverse is certainly true, however, in order to be successful you have to keep at it and never stop learning. We fail when we think we have learned it all and all of our greatest mistakes are behind us.

Photographing couples and weddings are truly a passion; there is something about being nearly completely out of control and having to capture moment and create images that tell a story both accurately and with style. As a perfectionist, this often puts me out of my element, having to truly accept life as it is delivered to you. Yet, there is something freeing about the planned chaos of weddings that cannot be replicated in portrait photography. Weddings and all they encompass in and of themselves are like a living organism.  Each has its own personality and feel and yet so many photographers shoot them all the same. For this reason, documentary wedding photography with a touch of fine art and editorial-style deign is my goal. There should be cohesion and individuality. In these grey areas are where you will find distinctions between one photographer from another, because we often use the exact same cameras and edit in the exact same programs. This is why our personalities are often far more important than everything else. It is far easier to be different than it is to be the best.

In addition to weddings, I photograph seniors, children, and newborns. I prefer to capture them as naturally as possible. I haven't found a better way to do that than meeting them at their level and in their environment. Photographing children is comparable to sports and wildlife photography. You never know what you are going to get and you certainly don't get much control over your subject. Being the father of five children and working from home, children are simply an extension of who I am. They are my life.

I think one has to first love life for them to love photography. Why else would one try to capture the world around them? I am so grateful for the blessings photographs and photography have given me. I treasure every image I have ever been given of those who have passed or loved ones I rarely was able to see. Photographs have lost a little of their nostalgia; when my generation ages I believe they will regret no having a shoebox full of prints. Facebook won't last forever. Hard drives crash far more than houses burn. I encourage all my clients to have prints created of their images. Digital copies of those prints are priceless as they allow for countless copies over time if well cared for. The more time that passes after a photo has been taken, the more valuable that moment becomes. We can't get that time back, but a photo allows us to recall a feeling, a memory, and everything that comes with it. My clients understand and value photography, that is why they invest and believe in what I can help create for them. I cannot do my job well unless I invest the time in getting to know my clients on a personal level. I want them to view me as a friend with a camera and I simply want to have a conversation - documenting their story and staying true to their unique personality and lifestyle. If I were to say I had a strong point, it would be in making whoever is in front of my camera feel comfortable. It is daunting for people to stand in front of you while you are silently analyzing their every move. I want them to forget they are being photographed and simply BE THEMSELVES reminding them that they are wonderfully and beautifully made (Psalm 139:14). 

Being a photographer is less than 10% about taking pictures and is nearly 70% business. I spend far more time in front of a computer than I do behind a camera. I rely daily on my business experience and education to fulfill my role as a small business owner. The challenges of being photographer, editor, marketer, bookkeeper, designer, accountant, secretary, husband, and father make for a very interesting life that is never dull, but always filled with something to do. For that, I am grateful, because for me the worst form of work is having nothing to do at all. If you do something you love, you will never work a day in your life!

Our goal at James Stokes Photography is that the images we capture will bring joy to your heart, tell your journey, and enrich your soul! We believe in what photographs can do for families and individuals. They can remind us of how truly blessed we are and how amazing life is! We are not the true artists, but simply the capturers of light reflecting off creation. Whether it be a brand new baby having just been knit in his or her mother's womb or the golden wheat field with a husband and wife lovingly embracing on their wedding day. We are all surrounded by God's goodness and grace and HIS story is ultimately the one I want to tell through YOU!  

 Photographs are by        https://www.facebook.com/JamesStokesPhotography
You may contact him at  info@jamesstokesphotography.com

He resides on Gods Land in Northern Wisconsin.