Snapper zooms in on WA

He has photographed some of the world's most beautiful women, appeared on the American and Australian versions of hit TV show Next Top Model, and is a friend to celebrities and top designers.

But striding through the bush in Kings Park yesterday, far from the glitz and glamour of his adopted home of New York, photographer Russell James looked perfectly at ease.

Sporting thongs and an infectious grin, the 48-year-old snapper returned to his hometown Perth this week to photograph 53 WA residents who represent the diverse faces of the Commonwealth. But shooting for the photography exhibition, which will go on display during the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in October, took a back seat yesterday when James met renowned Nyoongar actor Kelton Pell, who is starring in and co-directing a new stage production about famed Aboriginal resistance fighter Jandamarra.

The reworked version of the play, which captured James' imagination when it ran in Perth in 2008, will go on tour in the Kimberley this year.