Born in Germany in 1874 as J.H Liebreich, he came to England to settle in Bradford as did many others in the late nineteenth/early twentieth century to form a strong German community in the city and most were involved in the wool/textile trade. Leighton's working life was spent in the wool trade. He took up photography in 1894 and joined the flourishing Bradford Photographic Society in 1897.

J.H Liebreich changed his name to James Harold Leighton at the outbreak of the First World War in 1914 thus accounting for both his German and English name appearing on various photographic records where he exhibited in Salons around the world.

Interviewed in The New Photographer journal (Nov 1926) he explained his reason for turning to the camera was that it seemed to offer him the means of expressing himself and his feelings in a way that he realised was impossible by means of either pencil or the brush.

Very quickly he was to have his work accepted in various international Salons where he collected an array of medals some of which are now in the Society archives.
These include:

• International Kerstsalon IRIS Antwerp 1933, 1936.
• 1er Salon International D'Art Photographique - Principauté de Monaco 1937.
• L'Association Belge de Photographie Salon D'Art.
• Intern Tentoonstell van Fotografische Kunst in Het Stedel Museum te Amsterdam 1908.
• London Salon of Photography 1930
• Royal Agricultural & Industrial Society of British Columbia, International Exhibition Pictorial Photography New Westminster 1923, 1925, 1929.
• Salon de Fotografia, Zaragoza (Saragossa, Spain)
  
• Fifth International Photographic Salon of Japan 1931.

Some experts of the time said his pictures suffered because of their size but Leighton disagreed strongly and thought their charm "lies in their daintiness" as none of his pictures exceeded half-plate size and all were contact prints.

Leighton was a great believer in the stand camera for serious work and he always used a half-plate stand camera when out picture-making.

For many of his earlier years he adopted the carbon process as his printing medium. Later he was to favour the Platinotype and he claimed it as "one of the finest processes there is".

Around 1901 after experimenting with gum bichromate he found that process really suited him and he became regarded as one of the foremost exponents of that process.

J.H Leighton became an international figure as an Associate Member of both the Los Angeles and Pittsburg Societies, Royal Photographic Society as well as the Bradford Photographic Society where he was encouraged by Alexander Keighley FRPS. He was also a member of the London Salon of Photography, one of the highest honours attainable by a pictorial photographer.

Leighton was reported to offer his services freely to help anyone become more proficient in his hobby and his criticisms and advice were always valued.

A lifelong batchelor, he died in 1947 aged 73 and having been a member of the Bradford Photographic Society for over 50 years and one of the longest serving members.

He was described in Amateur Photographer as "a quiet gentlemanly personality typical of all that was best in the late Victorian period. Confident but imaginative, his helpfulness to the members was beyond measure".

To celebrate J.H Leighton's 50 years with the Bradford Photographic Society he was invited to display a special panel of his work at the BPS Annual Exhibition in Cartwright Hall in June 1945. He was also one of the oldest members of the Bradford Arts Club.

Reference sources
Bradford Photographic Society archives.
The New Photographer 29 Nov 1926.
Amateur Photographer July 23rd 1947.
Telegraph & Argus.
Yorkshire Observer.