I love it when clients say "I know this is impossible", says pro photographer James Musselwhite

James Musselwhite is a professional photographer and videographer who’s hard to pin down, at least in terms of genre. When I speak to James from his home in Portsmouth, England (his commercial studio is based nearby) he’s just returned from shooting a big professional wrestling event in London, and is still riding high on the excitement.

James’s huge passion for wrestling has followed him throughout his career and makes up part of his portrait business alongside weddings, pets, newborns and even commercial headshots.

James’ work might be varied but it’s portraiture and, more importantly, the story behind the portrait, that he loves most. His approach to gear, lighting, and client consultations is also similar – no matter the subject.

"Working out how famous portraits have been shot is one of my favorite things to do," he shares. "I love solving the puzzle of how subjects have been lit."

We first spoke to James back before the pandemic. Now, having come out on the other side, he seems even more determined to push his creative and personal boundaries.

He has upgraded to mirrorless with the Canon EOS R6 and R6 Mark II, opened a bigger studio, been a featured speaker at The Photography & Video Show, and even started sharing video tutorials from his portraiture and ringside action. Let’s find out more…

You shoot quite a range of subjects. Do you approach them in the same way?

I did a talk on this last year and we broke it down. The process for a wrestling portrait in terms of the commission is actually quite similar to any portrait shoot. You have your initial inquiry, then you set up a consultation where you discuss and storyboard ideas. As a photographer today, you should be looking to add value and expertise as much as possible at every step.

If a wrestler wanted us to shoot their new character, in the same way as a newborn shoot, we would sit down on a Zoom call and discuss ideas and what they want. Get them to submit ideas. Then we can provide a storyboard level and send it back to them.

The consultation process sounds important to what you do. Is it about setting expectations?

Whether it’s a newborn or wrestling shoot, consultations give you ideas and you can set boundaries. For example, if the mum shows you a picture of a skin-on-skin shot with a baby, you almost know you’ve got the authority to approach that. If you think it’s a good idea, you shouldn’t just throw it on a mum as it might be an uncomfortable experience for her.

The experience is what it’s all about, in terms of what we do as photographers. We can produce an amazing image, but if it reminds them of a bad time, they won't necessarily like it. If you provide them with a good time, a positive time, and an empowering time, then you provide the images, and the job is already done by the time it comes down to the sales point.

I love it when clients come to me and say "I know this is impossible," but then you find a way to make it completely possible. That’s the skill in what I do; making something a reality.

The Canon EOS R system has moved on since you last spoke to us. How did your kit change?

During the pandemic, I decided to go mirrorless. I’d flirted with mirrorless cameras from other brands just to see what they were like, but I’d always shot professionally with my Canon EOS 5D. And then I tried the EOS R6. Once I’d had the settings to replicate a DSLR, it was great. I’ve got the EOS R6 Mark II now, and the electronic viewfinder I was working with at Wembley at the weekend makes photography so easy.

I shot using the R6 Mark II with an EF lens adapter on the EF 400mm f/2.8L IS II USM, and the facial recognition AF proved astounding. Truly. I was facing the ring from 60 meters away, behind the ring was a sea of about 3,000 people looking at me, but the autofocus software inside the camera still managed to pick out the face of the person I was tracking to be pin sharp.

What are your most used lenses?

I love a 70-200mm, and I’m using my old Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS III USM lens with an adapter. I’m looking to see whether Canon can do something around 200-500mm because that would be a nice range, but my workhorse is the Canon RF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM nowadays.

Earlier we touched on the fact you shoot a wide range of subjects. What would you like to shoot – either commercially or personally – that you haven’t yet?

I’ve got a couple of projects in mind. I walk past an allotment more or less every day, and see the people working there. It’s always the most diverse range of people. Each one has a different character. For example, one has signposts in the ground that say things like "Narnia, 500 miles this way" and has got some sort of sci-fi and fantasy background. I want to walk around the allotment with a bunch of leaflets and let people know that I’ll be back here for anyone who wants to be part of the photo project.

I think that [older] generation is actually more invested in recording memories. If I were to offer up my service at a TikTok convention, no one would care. But perhaps the older generation is more invested in "traditional" photography.

The other project I’ve got in mind (one which I’ve been waiting about six years to do now) is to photograph pantomime dames. I’ve got this idea for someone in "ugly sister" make-up, shot in a really dark, almost Fifties style, with a single light. I just think there’s something quintessentially British about that.

I don’t know if I’ll get canceled if I do it, but it’s the one project that I can see myself sitting on the sofa of the BBC Breakfast show talking about. I could see it because there are loads of little church halls around here and amateur dramatic societies, and I could definitely work away up that ladder and have a project that would represent that.

Wrestling is kind of like a subculture where it has its own language and its own understanding of why it exists. And I think pantomime is that, too.

What is the one thing you wish you had known when you started taking photos?

There’s a book I’ve got downstairs called Dear Me: A Letter to My Sixteen-Year-Old Self, with entries from people such as Sir Elton John and Stephen Fry. It’s a fascinating read, I love that book.

What I know now is that the anxiety doesn’t ever go away, which is a weird thing for me because you have to have a certain level of confidence to do what I do as a portrait photographer. I’ve just learned to manage that anxiety.

In terms of a serious answer, I don’t think I wish I’d known anything. No piece of advice could help you, as you’ve just got to get in there and do it. Don’t be shy about sharing your stuff, and never be afraid of asking others for help and advice.

Every negative and positive experience that you have puts you on a different journey to the next photographer, and that’s what makes you unique. So you can’t influence it, you just have to learn, adapt, and change.

A longer version of this interview originally appeared in Issue 210 of PhotoPlus magazine. Click the link below to see our latest special subscription deal!

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Interesting in shooting wrestling or other sport? Check out the best cameras for sports photography and the best lenses for sports photography. If portraiture is more your thing, take a look at the best cameras for portraits and the best lenses for portraits.