The introduction I want to give you about James Lai is this quote from Leo’s own mouth, “I’m really good at multiple choice.” It feels important to me. It could be because the first time I met James he took out several, maybe four cameras loaded with different films and took picture after picture of Nina Escalante. It could be because, visiting him for this interview, I was able to flip through the lid of a box full of polaroids. When it comes to cutting and storytelling, shooting on film means you take a chance that a digital photographer doesn’t. James is so casual about it.
Alexis
JAMES
Where was the last place you went with the specific intention of taking a photo?
I’m trying to think … I do that sometimes, but usually I have my camera and I only take pictures when I feel like it. There are times when I need to get out because I need to find the right time for the light and stuff. But the last time I remember is the financial district.
What were you chasing for a photo?
I want to take photos that represent different people in Toronto and I feel like Bay Street is an interesting thing to take photos. Also, the light is pretty good there.
How do you explore photography as a medium beyond taking a photo?
I usually go to the library and look at books. For me, I suppose that beyond taking the photo is also looking at the photos. So I mostly shoot movies, which means I can’t see what photos are like until they are developed. I usually don’t develop until I save at least eight rolls. It means that I end up with a library of photos that I can look at later. So I think another good way to explore photos is to recognize that 99% of your photos are bad. So what you want to do is try to find the good ones. That is really very difficult.
One of the artists whose work he showed me the last time I was here was Araki, and he said that what he liked about him and many other Japanese photographers is that they are prolific in their work. What does it mean to you for an artist to be prolific in their art?
What impresses me the most is its volume. Let it become an excess. Much of the Japanese mindset and design is based on minimalism. But then when you separatists like Araki or DaidÅ Moriyama just blow up hundreds of books or things like that. It is interesting to me because it becomes a stream of consciousness. It becomes something else. It definitely showed Japan very well.
When you display your photos, what is it like to display a work and have the people who are the subjects of the photos actually on display and see your photos?
James laughs here. So I haven’t done a lot of shows, but I realized the trick is to get really drunk. So you don’t really remember anything about the show and it’s generally a positive thing.
One topic that you seem to like to explore with people is flowers. What do flowers have that you are interested in studying?
So it’s actually more of a growing interest. What interests me about flowers is that I feel like many other photographers have explored flowers. Much of photography is about trying to find the way you take pictures. The way you, as an individual, take pictures. If you look at Maplethorpe flowers or Araki flowers or there are many other photographers; they all look very different. They have found something of their own in flowers. What I’m trying to do is find my thing in flowers. I don’t know, I just like to do these exercises.
As a photographer who is always taking photos, have you ever felt there is a greater risk in not taking a photo than in doing something physically extreme like climbing a tree at an angle?
Yes, I would climb a tree! If necessary. There are many different ways to approach the moment of taking a photo. Some people are very measured and they like a tripod and all that stuff. I like to run like an idiot and hit the shutter, trying to do it at the right time. So if I need to, I’ll climb trees or run with my head cut off.
Do you usually take a photo and feel confident that you have captured that moment?
So I am a very bad photographer. I need to take a lot of bad photos to get a good photo. For me, I try to keep taking photos until hopefully I’m ready.
You mentioned going to the financial district and being interested in that type of person. In fact, you have a background in economics. Do you think that will influence or influence your experience of artistic creation?
There is some experience there. I think it’s the most compelling thing about me. Because I’m pretty cool is that I get along with many types of people. I’ve always seen myself as someone who goes around in circles. That includes when I worked as an analyst, energy analyst. So you have your circle there. I realized that there are stories in each circle that are quite interesting. I try to find photos in all the different places.
Do you have a favorite photo that you have taken?
Uh … No, I think everyone could be better.
See James’s work @thejameslai
Article originally published on Alexus Projects
June 2, 2018