This week’s Member Moment features work by Film Club member Kai Mai, whose work features vibrant adventure and travel photography. Scroll down to see his pictures and to read the interview!
PL: What got you interested in photography?
KM: I discovered photography quite serendipitously. Growing up, I wasn’t particularly drawn to the arts, and only took a pottery and drawing class in middle and high school. During my freshman year of college, I enrolled in a digital photography class, thinking it would be an easy A. However, it turned out to be my most time-consuming class, which required lots of effort and dedication. I was initially annoyed by the all-nighters I stayed awake in the computer lab, printing out my photos and editing it on Photoshop, but started to fall in love with it through the semester. I started biking at 5am to the Delaware River to see the sunrise and take photos of it, and that was when I became fully immersed. What began as a casual class soon evolved into a lasting passion.
PL: What type of camera do you shoot with?
KM: I usually shoot on Sony a7iii, a digital mirrorless camera. I also have a medium format film camera Mamiya C33, a Canon 6D and a Fujifilm X-A2.
PL: When taking pictures, what are some objects or elements or feelings within a scene that inspire you to take a photo?
KM: Usually I look for how light interacts with an environment. I’m a big fan of landscape photography and would always shoot sunrises and sunsets when I was first getting into it. Tranquility is a feeling I often seek—if a scene evokes calmness or stillness, I’m compelled to capture it. I also love photographing friends during trips, especially candid moments where my friends are smiling or are doing something. I like going on outdoor excursions and like to blend landscapes with the people I’m with. I like looking back at these photos when I’m editing and it brings me lots of joy, because I get to relive each moment in time.
PL: Of the pictures you submitted, can you share an interesting story about one?
KM: I really like the “dog.jpg” photo. I took this picture during a school Spring Break trip to Argentina and Uruguay. It features a dog perched on top of a dog statue, smiling while wearing a hat and a bowtie. To the right of the photo, there’s a sign that reads, “SHELTER FOR DOGS. HELP US TO KEEP THEM….” What struck me most was the entire setup. There were about ten dogs and a woman standing behind them, giving commands in Spanish. Whenever the lady said something, the dogs would cheerfully pose in front of tourists, looking joyful and animated. It was funny and surreal to watch them perform so perfectly in front of the tourists. But behind the smiling dog faces, I couldn’t help but wonder: Were they truly happy, or just conditioned to act that way for the sake of tourists? Their excitement seemed genuine but there was a sense of artificiality in how their poses and smiles seemed so perfect. The moment left me reflecting on how appearances can be both charming and deceptive, even in something as simple as a dog’s smile.
PL: What do you enjoy most about digital photography and what is challenging about it?
KM: Photography for me is the perfect blend of creative/analytical thinking. It’s an artform that sometimes follows certain recipes like how cooking is, and there are rules to photography like the composition or exposure that is hard to break out of. For me, it’s also a sport. I like hiking and climbing new peaks and bringing my camera along with me. It helps document my travels and some of the cool things that I do. I also like the end-to-end production processes of photography. I feel very much fulfilled: from the taking of the picture, to color grading it, cropping on photoshop, uploading to my social media and printing out the photos and then selling it to my friends, having witnessed the full cycle of my creative work brings lots of fulfillment and joy to my life.
PL: How would you like to grow this collection of photographs?
KM: I want to become an adventure photographer and I really look up to Jimmy Chin, who filmed “Free Solo” and has embarked on expeditions across the globe, capturing insane landscapes and documenting the lives of people who traversed through them. I plan to go to Nepal next year, to try my hand at becoming an adventure photographer. I am quite nervous but also super excited. My dream career is adventure photography and I feel that I must try this now before regretting about it later on in my life.
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