After a 30 year career in newspapers, James Fraser has vast experience of events, people and places to share with Cruise Line passengers, from the highs and lows of the Royal family, political campaigns of all hues, to the birth and rise of celebrity culture and experience of trouble spots including Northern Ireland and the Afghanistan conflict. A huge range of images will be shown to give life to these stories.
His work in travel has taken him around the world including Rio, Komodo, Easter Island, New York, New Zealand, Mumbai and the Mediterranean and beyond, developing a wide range of lectures with pictures and anecdotes. In 2019, he completed a Round The World Tour with Fred Olsen as the Photography Workshop Tutor. One of his most popular lectures is "Photograph The World with Your Smartphone", the fast growing trend among travellers.
Working at the business end of news has given him an profound insight into the personalities and events which have dominated the headlines over last three decades. He can tell the story with humour and self deprecation. "News photographers have only three foes - Time, Events and the World. Apart from that, everything's easy", he says.
Jim started his career photographing the Royals in the heady days after Charles and Diana's wedding. In 1985, he scooped a World Exclusive of the young princes William and Harry playing in a park in west London. It was published in British newspapers, Paris Match, and Time Life in America.
After working on the picture desks of the Times, Sunday Times, Mail, Mail on Sunday and The Observer, he went full time as a photographer with the Daily Telegraph in 1989 being closely involved in coverage of the fall of Margaret Thatcher and the main players associated with it.
The Telegraph sent him to the Cannes Film Festival, Monaco Grands Prix, America, the Middle East and most notably, Afghanistan in 2001, travelling in the desert with Taliban soldiers in Khandahar province.
"When you arrive on assignment and your airport taxi has three bullet holes in the front wing, you know you've come to an interesting place." Jim says.
There's also a lot of fun pictures to take, especially at the Edinburgh Festival which Jim has photographed 10 times.
He has recently worked as a tour guide in Europe for US travel companies Rick Steves, Overseas Adventure Travel and Grand Circle.
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Enrichment speaker since 2013. Engagements with Fred Olsen, Saga, and most recently, Cunard, with a score of 7.94 out of 10. Cruises include Baltic, Mediterranean, Transatlantic, Caribbean, USA and South America. Each lecture accompanied by over 60 of my images taken as a press photographer for the Daily Telegraph and Sunday Times as well as Royal coverage since 1985. Also experience as tour escort for Cunard.
OTHER CRUISE COMPLETED
SHIP REF CRUISE DESCRIPTION NIGHTS SAILING FROM DEPARTURE DATE
P&O Iona G234 Canary Islands 14 Southampton 8 - 12 October, 20222
Queen Victoria V702 World Criuse 2017 120 Southampton Thursday, January 5, 2017
Queen Victoria V611 Western Mediterranean 14 Venice Saturday, July 30,2016
Queen Mary 2 M603 World Cruise 2016 121 Southampton Sunday, January 10, 2016
Saga Pearl 11 P2147 South American Discovery 73 Southampton Wednesday, January 6, 2016
The following recent Cruise History has been recorded for this candidate.