hey! i'm john, co-founder and lead photographer of sonder + james. a little about me: i was born in california but raised in madison, wi, where i met my wife, jodie. a month after our wedding, we moved to the twin cities, where we lived for the last 15 years. we have two amazing daughters, two polar opposite cats and a sweet, precocious puppy, named wynn. we just recently relocated to l.a. and live in the south bay. 

it all started in 2008 when a friend asked me to shoot her wedding. i thought she was out of her mind! i was a graphic designer at the time with a photography lifestyle. i always needed images to work with in photoshop and enjoyed taking my own. i grew up with a kadak 110 camera in my hand so it only made sense that this is what i was meant to do. i discovered what it was like to work for clients all over the country and as my photography business grew, i left the graphic design world and have been a full-time photographer since 2010. 

i'm an outdoors guy, rough and tumble. i love hot chocolate around a campfire and am a sucker for chips and salsa. i have too many hobbies from snowboarding and golf, to movies and backpacking. i call myself a habitual participator and like trying new things. i love to play and don't take myself too seriously. i'm also your biggest fan and most ardent supporter. what hobby should i try next?