NO BOUNDS

JAMES J. ROBINSON

The 26-year-old photographer, filmmaker and writer is based between Melbourne, New York and Los Angeles.

CAN YOU RECOUNT A SIGNIFICANT MOVE OR STEP IN YOUR CAREER THAT TURNED OUT TO BE A TURNING POINT THAT LED YOU TO WHERE YOU ARE TODAY? “Living in America, your level of ‘success’ is measured by the largest invoices and the biggest celebrities you get to work with. I was admittedly roped into this world when I first moved to New York, wanting to attain that success and pay my rent comfortably. But when I did, I found it unfulfilling … I came back to Melbourne for a holiday and instead chose to photograph my Filipino family. Going from shooting Kylie Jenner to shooting my family and friends was an important pivot for me, reminding me to keep my work grounded in what actually inspires me.”

HOW HAS YOUR CAREER PROVIDED YOU WITH AN UNEXPECTED POSITIVEhad me meeting people who were running the last remaining video stores in Australia, or a job where I had shot someone who had spent 30 years of his life falsely incarcerated for a crime he was later exonerated for. Sometimes I can feel a little trapped in a social bubble of people with the same politics and interests, so being able to meet people with such different lives helps keep me grounded.”