James Wooldridge is a Great Plains visual storyteller. Raised in Kansas City, he was a summer intern at Deseret News in Salt Lake City and is a senior photojournalism student at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. James has interned at the Colorado Springs Gazette and the Lincoln Journal Star. He has freelanced for ESPN, the Kansas City Star, the Austin American-Statesman and Hail Varsity Magazine.
Driven by curiosity, James is determined to learn about photography and experience new slices of life. His work spans from North Dakota to Nepal, although he enjoys making photos in Nebraska and Kansas City just the same.
James played an integral role as a photographer for WoundsOfWhiteclay.com, winner of the 2017 Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Grand Prize. His contribution included a illustrative essay about death on the Pine Ridge Reservation, in which he used the creative technique of light painting.
James placed in CPOY 72 for his Feature Photo and Domestic Picture Story. His sophomore year, he was a Hearst Photojournalism semifinalist. He also took 3rd and 7th in Hearst Team Multimedia for "Wounds of Whiteclay" and "Culture of the Climb," demonstrating his ability to collaborate. In his most personal project, James returned to his photographic and childhood roots in an essay about Kansas City baseball. He has also written two Sunday centerpieces for the Lincoln Journal Star.
Coffee in hand, James spends his free time reading the paper, plucking guitar and chasing light.
Next in our series: Photojournalist James Wooldridge takes a peek into the diversity of form among California's farms, which points out the intersection between art and science in agriculture. Keep reading
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