I am a Phoenix Arizona based professional photographer with a passion for sports, Motorsports, portrait, fashion, concert, and product photography.
My introduction to photography came in the form of a high school photography class. I found my passion for photography and the creative process in the long hours of darkroom time developing black and white film and prints.
I remember the excitement of shooting Friday night high school football games from the sidelines and the challenges of pushing Tri-X film 4-stops with a slow f5.6 lens.
I enjoyed the freedom of creating something in my own unique style so when it came to a career choice I took the creative path to graphic design. All those years studying shapes, color, composition and applying those concepts to marketing and advertising design has given me a background with roots in the visual arts.
My understanding of photography was very important in directing commercial photographers for product catalog and advertising photo shoots. I didn’t want to ask a photographer to do the impossible and that background helped me in several positions utilizing both my graphic design and photography skills.
Currently I find myself focusing on my photography career and my passion for all things creative.
I am very interested in capturing the action and beauty of Motorsports events as well as cycling both on and off-road. I love the details of football and baseball and the fast-paced action of basketball and would never shy away from assignments that challenge me both on a technical and creative level.
Contact me about licensing images or for assignments via email at: doug_james@cox.net or azalphadogphoto@cox.net
Doug James | Photo Productions 
Would love to ask you a couple technical questions about your outdoor photography.
Just so people know, I responded to Eden’s question and we exchanged several emails. Eden is a great fashion photographer and I could learn alot from him.
Hi,
Saw some of your editorial event work on Shutterstock. I was curious how you got permission to shoot at the NASCAR events and the basketball ones. Did you use Shutterstock’s red carpet service or get a press pass some other way? I like shooting events but never investigated how to get press credentials.
Chris,
Yes, I have used the Shutterstock Red Carpet program to get into some events. Shooting editorial events has lots of pluses and minuses but it is always a challenge. It looks like you covered the Iron Man event very nicely, so I’m sure you would do well at covering sporting events.
Hi, I’m surching for Doug James an old friend of mine 30 years ago!! Odyssey Photography – Santorini Greece – if these are keywords for you – give me a sign. Thanks a lot.
Sabine from Germany
This is exactly what I want to do someday! I love your work. I just recently started a photography class my first year of college. This is the exact field I would love to branch off to. Could I ask you a couple questions about how you got where you are? I would love your professional opinion.
Feel free to ask all the questions you like, I will do my best to answer them.
How did you work your way up to taking photos of professional teams?
You know, that is a tough one. There are times when you are starting out and it can be very difficult to get credentialed to almost anything, even high school sports.
There is also a misconception that you need to shoot professional teams to produce amazing images. Once you learn to “see the light” it can be easy to transfer those skills to professional sports. Take for example the following two posts:
https://alphadogphoto.wordpress.com/2011/10/08/youth-sports-the-color-and-the-light/
and
https://alphadogphoto.wordpress.com/2011/04/19/high-school-varsity-baseball-fun-in-the-sun/
as examples of what can be done with youth sports.
So, I would say the best thing to do is practice, practice, practice and hopefully the opportunities will present themselves when the time is right.