James Fensterer has spent a lot of time traveling the United States shooting landscapes, sports, portraits and street photography strictly for hobby. As time went on, James began to do more commercial and private work starting with a friend’s sisters’ Sweet 16 Party.
Born and Raised in New York, he began at a young age using his Grandmothers’ “point and shoot” camera at the age of 5. Around that time, James also had a passion for drawing and painting thanks to his Aunt. He received his Associates degree in Business Management from Grantham University; and his Associates degree in Photographic Imaging from Suffolk County Community College. James served in the United States Army from 2005 to 2015 where he traveled to places worldwide including: South Korea, Alaska, Iraq, Canada, and Kuwait During this time James had only a “point and shoot” camera and an early smart phone; at that time photography was only a hobby. Once he moved back to Long Island, New York he bought his first DSLR camera with a few lenses and re-kindled a childhood passion in art and photography.
Although he is most comfortable shooting Landscapes and Street Photography, he has an artistic eye when shooting Portraits and Fine Art Photography. If you don’t see him with a Camera you can usually find him with a paintbrush. His artwork and paintings have always taken a backseat to his photography, yet still a passion of his. James has gained the reputation as being easy-going, professional, organized and easy to work with.
Recently, in 2022, James graduated from Hofstra University with his Bachelors of Science in Education with a major in Fine Arts Education. In 2024, he graduated from Hofstra University with his Masters of Science in Education with a major in Curriculum Studies. He has since taught students varying from Kindergarten to 12th Grade. James teaches his art students using a T.A.B. (Teaching for Artistic Behavior) based curriculum with a focus on Art History. This approach gives his students creative freedom and the ability to choose which materials the students may want to work with while gaining background knowledge and the historical context of the art and artist they are learning about.
