Fox was a freelance journalist before World War II. One of his first jobs in Indianapolis was to photo document the slum area of the near west side of the city. Fox became a familiar figure to the families living in the near west side neighborhood. This area was bordered by the Central Canal and Sixteenth Street, and included Indiana Avenue. Indiana Avenue was the cultural and commercial center for the African-American community until the early 1960s. Fox photographed buildings, street scenes, children, and families over a period dating from 1945 to circa 1960. He also wrote poetry associated with the photographs and his experiences living in an urban neighborhood.

The O. James Fox collection in the Indiana Historical Society (P 0266) includes black-and-white and color photographs and color slides made by Fox between 1945 and around 1960. The photographs depict scenes of African-American families, children, and the urban environment of the near west side of Indianapolis. The children were often photographed playing in yards, alleys, or along the Central Canal. Most photographs include at least one individual, sometimes at a distance or visible in a shadow. Neighborhood scenes, particularly those depicted in the color photographs, include views of Indiana Avenue. Other color photographs document activities in the Flanner House Cannery and a party involving women and children.