A photojournalist located his way to America’s most significant oilpatch about 10 years ago via employment at the Midland Reporter-Telegram. A decade afterwards, the millennial is identified as The Oilfield Photographer and has produced a one of a kind business, servicing the demands of a traditionally secretive business.
James Durbin, 33, explained his time in Midland has been an adventure, and he’s created extra than just a business here.
“I explain to folks that this is a career that located me,” he claimed. “I assumed of the identify, I guess, and jumped on securing the identify but even at the time I did that, I wasn’t all set to fully soar into business on my possess. It took a great deal of hard work to get exactly where I can do it complete-time.”
His spouse Karina Durbin has aided him make that leap and has been his largest supporter along the way.
“She does a large amount of the loved ones function and Airbnb do the job so I can go out and be ‘The Oilfield Photographer,’” Durbin reported. “She retains us fed and receives the little ones to college and in which they need to have to be although also accomplishing a few distinct section-time employment.”
The Midland Entrepreneurial Obstacle also served him launch the business.
“The problem is like heading back to faculty,” he reported. “There are all these assignments but they are aiding you make a enterprise prepare. I would not be in this article as ‘The Oilfield Photographer,’ managing and growing the enterprise devoid of likely as a result of that system.”
Durbin graduated from the journalism software at Southern Illinois College. When he first moved to Midland in 2012, he moved in his car bringing some cameras and clothing. He couldn’t uncover a spot to keep in Midland, so he was commuting from Garden City right before he was able to sublease a room in a dwelling.
“I think that scenario was quite popular in the course of that time,” he mentioned. “There weren’t as many apartment buildings again then so individuals have been keeping wherever they could.”
Just before beginning his have small business, Durbin was a finalist for the Texas Push Association’s prestigious Star Photojournalist of the Calendar year Award. He also has labored overseas in Africa and Haiti as a contractor.
Still, the oil and gasoline industry was capable to capture Durbin’s curiosity.
“I was totally fascinated by the oil and gas infrastructure all around,” he said. “I felt like an outsider to it but I was curious about it. The group I labored in felt a ton like my modest group in St. Louis. Midland felt incredibly common to me. I assume some folks come listed here and they are looking to get out, and I under no circumstances felt that way. At the similar time, I did not be expecting to be in this article as extended as I have.”
Durbin stated he arrived to Midland pondering he would operate at the newspaper until he observed an additional photojournalism possibility wherever it would just take him. However, he identified much more than just a career and organization in Midland. He discovered his potential wife and son.
He initial satisfied his wife Karina by his social channels at get-togethers. They begun getting a passionate desire in each and every other at a Schlumberger Christmas get together at the Horseshoe Arena. Coincidentally, neither of them worked for Schlumberger but had friends who invited them to the function. Durbin extra he is thankful he fulfilled Karina before courting applications became the predominant way to meet folks.
Karina, 33, was born and raised in Midland. Her family members has usually labored in the oil and gas marketplace.
“I guess we fulfilled the previous-fashioned way at a party,” he mentioned. “That was the way things were carried out or I guess you could have satisfied anyone at church.”
Karina and James had their wedding ceremony in 2017. He explained they took things slowly but surely. He stated they had a terrific time courting in Midland, between tunes concerts and festivals like Crude Fest to other gatherings likely on, they bought to practical experience all this “oilfield tradition.”
“Karina had a son, Isaiah, who was 3 decades previous when I to start with satisfied them,” Durbin said. “Once we determined to be severe it was usually on my thoughts staying equipped to undertake him. I wanted each of them in my life.”
The few essential to get married in order for Durbin to adopt Isaiah, so they finished up heading to the courthouse to get married ahead of their marriage ceremony. Nonetheless, they tried using to retain their relationship in 2016 a key because they nonetheless preferred to have a wedding ceremony.
“A funny tale about my bosses at the newspaper observed out I was basically married right before our wedding day was that a single time I desired to just take a unwell day simply because Isaiah had broken his arm rollerblading,” he mentioned. “We needed to acquire him to Lubbock for his final solid. I approached my bosses to notify them I wanted a sick working day for Isaiah but they stated technically I couldn’t take a ill working day given that Isaiah wasn’t my fast loved ones at the time, so I finished up telling them essentially I received married and adopted Isaiah before the wedding day. In the end, I bought to use the sick working day.”
The Durbins welcomed their daughter Mila Grace to the spouse and children in 2019. Inspite of their developing family, the duo has continued their tough operate ethic.
“We the two appear from families who had organizations of their very own and we brought that really hard perform ethic into our own firms,” Karina stated. “I’ve normally just labored so challenging. At any time due to the fact we got married, it’s been a single point after the other. We haven’t actually slowed down.”
Karina additional that it has not normally been quick. The pair has worked reverse schedules, which created it hard to see just about every other but in this new time of existence, things have gotten a little less complicated.
“It’s a lot easier to sacrifice that time for him to go work being aware of that we’re increasing some thing with each other,” she reported. “We have the identical morals and tips typically. We are diverse persons even now he is quite quick to act though I say we require to consider matters additional slowly and gradually.”
Karina included that it is really been astounding how Midlanders have embraced her and her family. She claimed James appreciates a great deal of men and women in the community and they have all embraced her as she helped him obtain his dreams.
Midland has ongoing to adjust over the many years, Durbin reported.
“Back then there weren’t as lots of firms, dining establishments or apartment buildings,” he mentioned. “We would go out to like Rockin’ Rodeo and people would be spending funds like ridiculous. As an individual who was not right linked to the oilfield, I would be like what is likely on below.”
He remembers the very first time he went out to a drilling rig to photograph for the newspaper and he experienced no clue what he was searching at.
“It was like this total world of new stuff,” he said. “I felt this constant interest but not ample to go do the job in oil and fuel but coming from an spot wherever all I understood about gasoline was that I would place it in my automobile at the pump but would not assume about it once more until eventually I had to fill up.”
2019 was the calendar year he phased out of the newspaper and started doing the job for himself whole-time. The business enterprise focuses on the professional photo and movie, function protection, headshots, rental surveillance and timelapse, inventory and asset administration. Test out extra about The Oilfield Photographer at https://theoilfieldphotographer.com/. On top rated of the oilfield images, Durbin also has a sports images enterprise and a studio specializing in graduate shots and headshots.
“The greatest pics occur from the very best obtain,” he said. “If you do not have fantastic obtain then you’re not going to get a good image. That is where by journalism truly assisted me to develop into the photographer and businessman that I am since it is always to me about earning belief irrespective of whether it is from the reader and topic or the shopper now.”
Emily Lester, marketing and model supervisor at ProPetro Providers, can attest to Durbin’s means with a digicam. She reported ProPetro Services has been hiring Durbin for a couple of yrs to photograph and do video clip operate.
“We had been seeking for an skilled photographer distinct to the oil and gasoline field,” Lester explained. “It is tough to discover somebody with the proper certifications to go on a very well site and do imaginative do the job.”
Lester additional that he has a documentary design that requires the oil and gas industry to the subsequent level remaining in a position to make true-lifetime photographs of the oilfield attractive.
“It’s a level of abilities that he has built for himself above time,” Lester said. “He works with so many unique corporations in the oil and fuel marketplace. He is familiar enough with the industry to defend each of his shoppers.”
“Once you’re a client of James he is usually hunting out for your enterprise,” she mentioned. “He is incredibly hectic yet he constantly tends to make time for whichever shopper is in front of him.”
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Editor’s take note: James Durbin is a previous staff of the Midland Reporter-Telegram. His organization The Oilfield Photographer, Inc. continues to submit pictures and obtain payment from the newspaper.