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Brian James

@brianjjames

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Tech Leader 💻
Photographer / Cinematographer 📷
For automotive / moto content only 👉🏽 @oneviperbite

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9 months ago

“Faster, Faster, until the thrill of speed overcomes the fear of death.” - Hunter S. Thompson by @brianjjames

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3 years ago

2022 was filled with more downs than ups, but the ups were higher highs than the downs were lows…I don’t know if that makes any sense but whatever. Thankful for the people and the experiences that make this messy chaotic life worth living. Y’all know I love taking pictures but hate being in them. So if you’re not included it doesn’t mean I don’t love you. It just means we didn’t have a picture together this year…or at least one that was decent. Onto 2023 💚 by @brianjjames

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4 years ago

Life has been a little chaotic as of late. Full of lots of change (good and bad), new challenges and lessons learned. I feel like I’m barely treading water, and I know many of us feel the same way. I know it’s hard and annoying when people tell us to focus on the positives, but in a few days, I’ll be heading back to @champ_school for their Grad program and I’m so grateful it’s coming to the rescue for me right now. You’re all probably tired of hearing about how motorcycles went from being the source of my biggest pain and grief to being my saving grace. Champ School has played an instrumental part in that journey. So have the people I’ve met through this beautifully skilled art. Looking forward to pushing my boundaries with them and finding new limits. Now, here’s a picture of little me ripping my friend @ariyatehrani ‘s massive Ducati around the track. I wish you could see the stupid smile I had on my face under my helmet. taken in Los Angeles, California by @brianjjames

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4 years ago

This week marked 11 years since losing George. For some reason, this years anniversary has been a lot more difficult for me than the recent years. Maybe it has to do with the calendar week aligning with the dates of his original passing. Or maybe it has to do with the fact that I entered a new decade of my life this year. Regardless, the point is that it’s become more of a habit to hide my grief from others out of fear that people think I’m throwing a pity party for myself. This isn’t a pity party. But a reminder to myself that it’s okay to acknowledge that the grief is still there even if it has been 11 years. My hope is that by sharing my experience, that others feel comfortable sharing theirs, even if it feels like the rest of the world has moved on without you. It’s okay to miss them. It’s okay to feel sad. It’s okay to relive moments of anger and disbelief. Remembering them is how we keep them alive and honor their legacy through time and space. I miss you and love you brother 💚 by @brianjjames

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4 years ago

They say money can’t buy happiness…but it can buy a motorcycle, and that’s pretty much the same thing.

📷: @motocoast & @op.tic_entertainment

#harleydavidson #harley #sporster #roadster #hdroadster #harleydavidsonroadster #caferacer #instamoto #caferacersofinstagram #croig #caferacergram #motorbike #moto #motorcycle #caferacerporn #caferacerinc #caferacerworld #caferacerxxx #uglybrosusa #scorpionexo #dainese #tcxboots #revitsport taken in Los Angeles, California by @brianjjames

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4 years ago

Riding motorcycles is something I always dreamed of doing with my big brother, George, ever since I could remember learning how to ride a bicycle. But in 2011, after George was killed in a motorcycle accident, I told myself I’d never touch a motorcycle. After years of battling my grief, my anger, and my fears, I decided that I wouldn’t let George’s death stop me from being close to something I knew was destined to be a big part of my life. So I did what I believe I do best in everything I do in life…I faced my fears and decided to master the craft of riding on 2 wheels. Last week I attended @champ_school and if you didn’t care to keep up with my stories, the biggest takeaway regardless of your interest in motorsports is that it was a life changing experience that everyone can learn from. Every school, every business, every industry could learn something from Nick Ienatsch and his team, the lessons they teach, the passion they have for the craft, and their dedication and care for their students.

One of my instructors @ezfast said, “How you do anything is how you do everything.” I couldn’t have found more perfect words to describe how I try to live my life and I’m so grateful to Champ School and all of the people that were a part of my experience there. My journey on 2 wheels continues to teach me about how incredibly capable we are as human beings both physically and mentally. But it also continues to help me appreciate the fact that living, breathing, and sharing experiences with other human beings on this Earth is more important than anything else in life because we never know what day or what moment will be our last.

So go conquer your fears. Go chase that dream. Listen. Be a student. Become a master. Be kind. Love hard. Fail often. Get back up. Leave a legacy.

📷: @caliphotovideo by @brianjjames

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5 years ago

“No road is too long with good company.”

My favorite shot of @teelalaroux and I for @livewireev by @brianjjames

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5 years ago

Really sad to be missing out on the @f1 US Grand Prix this year in Austin for the first time in several years, but between starting a new job just a few months ago and a lot of other things going on in my life at the moment it just wasn’t in the cards. Ironically, this is the year so many of you have become fans of the sport and are going which bums me out even more, but such is life. Regardless, looking forward to the race and the continued title fight between @lewishamilton and @maxverstappen1. Here are some of my favorite shots from previous US Grand Prix. Shooting F1 cars is HARD. They move at a speed that is just so difficult to wrap your head around. Sure, you could just crank the shutter speed up to 1/8000 and get a decent photo, but then you lose all sense of the mind bending speed these machines carry in the photo. So, to capture the speed you have to shoot much much slower…closer to what the human brain perceives. The problem with shooting slower is that getting the car in focus and in the middle of the frame while panning takes a lot of patience, practice, and a bit of a 6th sense to predict when to start the pan and the clicking of the shutter. Not to mention, since I don’t have a press pass, I need to shoot through 2 catch fences, which means no using autofocus. Focus has to be dialed in manually and has to change as the car approaches and leaves. After a couple years of practice and many failed attempts, here are some shots I’m proud of. Get in there, Lewis. “Still I Rise.” taken in Circuit of The Americas by @brianjjames

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5 years ago

@harleydavidson x @livewireev

This bike is an absolute riot. All the power in the world available at a twist of the wrist without having to worry about a clutch or transmission. A 6-axis IMU, a perfect rider triangle for both comfort and riding hard in the twisties…I had a blast ripping through the city streets and the mountain roads with @teelalaroux. The future is here and what a time it is to be alive.

📷: @quesofrito
👗: @elzbthcrvlho
💄: @llewcee by @brianjjames

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5 years ago

Itching to get back on track. Few things in life are as challenging and rewarding as being on a race track. The entire world disappears and the only things that matter are you, the machine, the skills you’ve learned, and how far you are willing to push yourself at the limit. We often think that when the machine fails to deliver the results we want, that it is because the machine has reached its limit. But this is often our own egos talking. The limit is almost always ourselves. We often blame the machine for our lack of skill and mental capacity. We are quick to want to upgrade the machine instead of checking our egos at the door and realizing that WE are the limit. We do this in our careers, our relationships...our entire lives. Self-awareness is something I’ve been working on these last few months and I am grateful for the lessons it has taught me so far. Upgrade the software first...not the hardware. Now, get after it! taken in Los Angeles, California by @brianjjames

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5 years ago

There are few things in life that I can say are more romantic than piloting a Ferrari through a European mountain road. As a kid, I always dreamed of driving a prancing horse. I’m fortunate enough to have made that dream a reality and have had the privilege of spending quite some time behind the wheel of a few Ferraris over the last few years. But there is just something about Europe that makes the experience that much more memorable. The Ferrari 458 Italia remains one of my all-time favorite cars to drive and some days I still regret not buying one when I had the chance. When the 488 GTB was released, I quickly dismissed it as I didn’t care for the added turbos or the styling changes. But when the 458 Italia I had reserved during my 2019 trip to Barcelona threw a check engine light the morning I was set to pick it up, I couldn’t refuse the exotic rental company’s offer to give me this 488 GTB Spider instead. Trust me when I say this...when the sun is out, the top is down, and you have a glorious Spanish road in front of you weaving down the coast or up through the mountains...the last thing you’re thinking is, “I wish it didn’t have turbos.” If you had the keys to this 488 Spider for a day, where would you want to drive it? taken in Montserrat Barcelona by @brianjjames

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6 years ago