After graduating from Penn State with a degree in biology, J went on to become a drummer in a punk-blues band, recorded a couple of albums and toured throughout the US and Europe. But it was only after his immersion in South America while living in Ecuador as a Peace Corps volunteer that he discovered photography as his passion.

Since then, J has photographed on assignment for a variety of publications including The New York Times Magazine, Fortune, Newsweek, CNN, Runner’s World, Good Housekeeping, The Washington Post, The New York Times, Le Monde, XXL, Dazed & Confused Magazine and The Discovery and Travel Channels with his pictures appearing in Der Spiegel, Corriere della Serra’s Weekend Magazine.