James Morris studied history at university and went on to teach himself photography and film making as a means, initially, to travel and explore. For many years his principle focus was on architecture and the built environment, photographing both contemporary and historic buildings and working with some of the worlds most prominent architects. Along side he developed a practice looking more broadly at the impact of human intervention and presence in the landscape, with an interest in what can be understood from observing it. He has commented that ‘by observing landscapes, meaningful and expressive storylines are revealed that help understand something of a place and its people, it past as well as its present’. By photographing specific landscapes he aims to distill the stories that are expressed there. In addition to numerous architectural books, in 2004 he published Butabu with Princeton Architectural Press, an exploration of the unique vernacular landscape of West Africa, and 2010 A Landscape of Wales with Dewi Lewis Publishing. His work has been recognised through awards from, amongst others, D&AD, the Arts Council of Wales, The Graham Foundation for Fine Arts and the EU. He exhibits internationally and his work is in many private and public collections.
