Photojournalist finds family, niche business in oilpatch

“I tell folks that this is a work that discovered me,” he said. “I assumed of the name, I guess, and jumped on securing the title but even at the time I did that, I wasn’t all set to fully leap into small business on my personal. It took a whole lot of energy to get in which I can do it comprehensive-time.”

His wife Karina Durbin has helped him make that jump and has been his major supporter along the way.

“She does a whole lot of the loved ones perform and Airbnb do the job so I can go out and be ‘The Oilfield Photographer,’” Durbin mentioned. “She retains us fed and will get the children to faculty and exactly where they want to be though also accomplishing three different aspect-time employment.”

The Midland Entrepreneurial Obstacle also helped him start the small business.

“The problem is like going back again to college,” he explained. “There are all these assignments but they are assisting you build a organization prepare. I would not be listed here as ‘The Oilfield Photographer,’ running and expanding the business enterprise without heading by means of that procedure.”

Durbin graduated from the journalism program at Southern Illinois College. When he initial moved to Midland in 2012, he moved in his car or truck bringing some cameras and outfits. He couldn’t uncover a area to remain in Midland, so he was commuting from Backyard garden Metropolis prior to he was able to sublease a area in a property. 

“I consider that predicament was incredibly popular during that time,” he said. “There weren’t as numerous condominium buildings back again then so people have been keeping anywhere they could.”

Just before starting his personal 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.

Continue to, the oil and gas field was able to capture Durbin’s curiosity. 

“I was absolutely fascinated by the oil and fuel infrastructure all around,” he explained. “I felt like an outsider to it but I was curious about it. The group I worked in felt a good deal like my tiny neighborhood in St. Louis. Midland felt extremely acquainted to me. I think some people come listed here and they are wanting to get out, and I hardly ever felt that way. At the same time, I did not assume to be in this article as extensive as I have.”

Durbin reported he came to Midland wondering he would get the job done at the newspaper until finally he identified an additional photojournalism opportunity where ever it would get him. Nevertheless, he identified much more than just a position and company in Midland. He located his long term wife and son. 

He 1st satisfied his spouse Karina through his social channels at events. They begun having a romantic interest in each other at a Schlumberger Xmas get together at the Horseshoe Arena. Coincidentally, neither of them worked for Schlumberger but had pals who invited them to the event. Durbin extra he is thankful he met Karina before dating apps turned the predominant way to fulfill folks.

Karina, 33, was born and lifted in Midland. Her relatives has constantly worked in the oil and fuel business. 

“I guess we fulfilled the outdated-fashioned way at a party,” he explained. “That was the way points were done or I guess you could have achieved somebody at church.”

Karina and James experienced their marriage in 2017. He stated they took factors slowly. He stated they had a good time relationship in Midland, between music concert events and festivals like Crude Fest to other occasions going on, they received to working experience all this “oilfield culture.” 

“Karina experienced a son, Isaiah, who was 3 years old when I 1st fulfilled them,” Durbin explained. “Once we determined to be really serious it was always on my intellect becoming capable to undertake him. I wished each of them in my lifetime.”

The pair essential to get married in purchase for Durbin to undertake Isaiah, so they finished up going to the courthouse to get married ahead of their marriage ceremony. Nevertheless, they tried to hold their relationship in 2016 a solution because they even now wished to have a marriage. 

“A amusing tale about my bosses at the newspaper found out I was in fact married ahead of our marriage was that just one time I desired to consider a sick day for the reason that Isaiah had broken his arm rollerblading,” he mentioned. “We required to choose him to Lubbock for his ultimate cast. I approached my bosses to convey to them I wanted a ill working day for Isaiah but they stated technically I could not acquire a unwell working day given that Isaiah wasn’t my immediate relatives at the time, so I finished up telling them essentially I bought married and adopted Isaiah before the wedding. In the close, I acquired to use the ill working day.”

The Durbins welcomed their daughter Mila Grace to the loved ones in 2019. In spite of their escalating relatives, the duo has ongoing their really hard function ethic. 

“We both equally come from households who had businesses of their personal and we brought that tough function ethic into our personal firms,” Karina reported. “I’ve constantly just worked so difficult. At any time due to the fact we acquired married, it is been 1 point soon after the other. We haven’t really slowed down.”

Karina included that it has not constantly been uncomplicated. The couple has labored reverse schedules, which manufactured it really hard to see just about every other but in this new time of lifestyle, matters have gotten a tiny less difficult.

“It’s simpler to sacrifice that time for him to go get the job done knowing that we’re developing some thing with each other,” she claimed. “We have the very same morals and strategies typically. We are different persons even now he is extremely speedy to act even though I say we have to have to choose factors additional slowly but surely.”

Karina added that it is really been remarkable how Midlanders have embraced her and her loved ones. She explained James knows a ton of people in the group and they have all embraced her as she assisted him reach his goals.

Midland has continued to adjust above the a long time, Durbin claimed. 

“Back then there weren’t as lots of companies, dining establishments or apartment structures,” he said. “We would go out to like Rockin’ Rodeo and men and women would be spending dollars like outrageous. As somebody who wasn’t instantly linked to the oilfield, I would be like what is heading on here.”

He remembers the to start with time he went out to a drilling rig to photograph for the newspaper and he experienced no clue what he was hunting at.

“It was like this full world of new stuff,” he mentioned. “I felt this continual interest but not enough to go work in oil and gasoline but coming from an spot exactly where all I knew about fuel was that I would put it in my auto at the pump but would not consider about it yet again till I had to fill up.”

2019 was the calendar year he phased out of the newspaper and commenced functioning for himself complete-time. The enterprise focuses on the industrial picture and video clip, celebration protection, headshots, rental surveillance and timelapse, stock and asset management. Test out extra about The Oilfield Photographer at https://theoilfieldphotographer.com/. On prime of the oilfield photography, Durbin also has a sports activities pictures business and a studio specializing in graduate pics and headshots.

“The ideal pics come from the most effective entry,” he claimed. “If you do not have fantastic entry then you’re not heading to get a superior image. That is the place journalism truly helped me to turn out to be the photographer and businessman that I am mainly because it is usually to me about earning rely on irrespective of whether it is from the reader and topic or the consumer now.”

Emily Lester, marketing and advertising and model supervisor at ProPetro Services, can attest to Durbin’s potential with a digicam. She stated ProPetro Companies has been employing Durbin for a couple of a long time to photograph and do online video work. 

“We had been searching for an professional photographer distinct to the oil and fuel industry,” Lester mentioned. “It is tough to obtain someone with the correct certifications to go on a well web site and do imaginative operate.”

Lester added that he has a documentary design and style that usually takes the oil and gasoline market to the following amount remaining able to make genuine-lifetime images of the oilfield attractive.

“It’s a stage of experience that he has developed for himself over time,” Lester reported. “He works with so a lot of unique corporations in the oil and gas business. He is familiar ample with the market to safeguard each and every of his customers.”

“The moment you’re a shopper of James he is always looking out for your business enterprise,” she claimed. “He is really occupied nonetheless he constantly would make time for whichever client is in entrance of him.”

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Editor’s note: James Durbin is a previous personnel of the Midland Reporter-Telegram. His corporation The Oilfield Photographer, Inc. carries on to post pics and acquire payment from the newspaper.