James grew up watching wildebeest documentaries on a small television in Nairobi's Eastleigh neighbourhood and spent his school holidays trying to convince matatu drivers to drop him near Naivasha so he could count herons. He trained as a Kenya Professional Safari Guide and passed the Silver level exam on his first attempt.
His photographic work focuses on behaviour rather than beauty: the moment a lioness locks on a target, the slow deliberate movement of a black rhino at Ol Pejeta checking the wind. Several of his images have been used in Lewa Wildlife Conservancy's annual conservation reports, and he has contributed to a long-form essay on the Northern Rangelands Trust's community conservancy model in Laikipia.
James leads Arrive Africa Safaris' Kenya Classic and Conservation Journey departures. He is the kind of guide who pulls the vehicle over for a martial eagle the same way he would for a leopard — which is to say, immediately and in silence. He is based between Nairobi and the Mara and is currently completing a remote-sensing course to better understand elephant movement corridors across the Laikipia plateau.
