James has been either cinematographer or director of photography on more than thirty films since 1973 when he worked on the Australian film "Avengers of the Reef". James has won Australian Cinematographers Society's (ACS) Milli Award four times, Australian Film Institute's Award for Best Achievement in Cinematography three times and was nominated for the award for Outstanding Cinematography for a Miniseries or Movie at the 56th Primetime Emmy Awards for his work on the 2003 television film "And Starring Pancho Villa as Himself".