James Carroll was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, spent his early years in Nevada, California, and Long Island and since then has been a resident of New York City.
His work has been published by The New York Times, Population Bulletin, American Prospect, Venture, The Sun, Time-Life Books, Eastman Kodak, The Ford Foundation, LightWork, Camera Mainichi, and B&W Magazine.
His photographs are in public collections including those of the University of Rochester, the New York Public Library, and the Bibliotheque Nationale, Paris.
He was a finalist for the Honickman Book Prize Award (2005) and will be part of the Eyes On Main Street Festival in Wilson, North Carolina in 2016.