Who are you?
My name is Jimmy Francis and I'm a freelancing filmmaker and still photographer. I've been making films in one way or another since I was a young child and the photographical aspect has always lived side by side. In some situations, as when portraying the natural world, I love capturing a moment in time through a still image rather than moving ones.
Being from both Sweden and Barbados I have had the chance to live close to the ocean and developed a fascination for it. I feel at home near water and love portraying the creatures and views below the waves.
What are you inspired by?
My greatest sources of inspiration within photography are creatures. I'm a big fan of studying the animals we share this planet with. For me, the less I've seen pictures of a creature, the more interesting they are to photograph. The oceans of this world are still to much extent an enigma and there are still places and situations we can dive and discover a multitude of beings never seen before. It's an exciting thought.
What was the last movie you watched?
I tend to watch a great deal of films since I work with it, everything from old classics and unknowns to the latest releases. I think the very latest film I watched before this questionnaire was "Spectre".
What was the last book you read?
I tend to jump between several books within my interests. I think the last one I've finished cover to cover is Mike Goodridge's "Directing" from the FilmCraft series. Now I'm reading through Mattias Klum's "Worlds of Life" photography book.
Do you have any role model?
Within filmmaking I'm a huge fan of Spielberg, Scorsese, the Coen Brothers, Aronofsky, Stone, Eastwood among others. They have all been inspirational guides of how to tell a story with images.
Within underwater photography there is a multitude of amazing images produced constantly but if I would have to choose a few photographers I've been studying extra close, Eric Cheng and Adriana Basques would definitely be among them.
What is your next creative project?
My next photography project is a two day expedition outside of Oban, Scotland later this summer. The goal is to get into the water and up close to the Basking Sharks, the world's second largest fish, that make their way to UK waters during the plankton bloom. It's a project I've been dreaming of doing for a few years now.
What do you like about Portfoliobox?
I like the efficiency of Portfoliobox and how I can work with well displayed portfolio images alongside a blog of my own. I also think Portfoliobox has a very high speed for loading images which is always a big plus.
