Kai Diaz: Wired to Document
Listening to Bethany Jacobson talk about NYC in the 80s in our last episode was absolutely fascinating, but it was an unfamiliar world for me. This week, we relived a little 90s nostalgia with Kai Diaz, and I have to say, it took me back to my own teenage years, albeit an East Coast version.
Kai grew up on MTV, skate videos, and surf magazines and it was that kind of visual culture that shaped the way he sees, even now. As a kid, he became the unofficial documentarian of his friend group, filming skate sessions and documenting life on film. To this day, friends call him looking for old memories, and he’s usually got the photos stowed away, ready to scan and send. So, you can add archivist to the list of Kai’s abilities too.
He said, “I just wanted to remember everything…that’s kind of how I got into photography.” And while he started shooting so he wouldn’t forget (Peter Pan syndrome, he calls it), over time, he’s honed his craft into something much deeper. These days, observation, storytelling and curiosity are at the heart of what he creates. “It’s just in me to document stuff,” he says.
Influenced by Film and Films
With just a few exceptions, Kai has stayed true to film photography over the years, both for the benefits that come from a slower process, and for the quality of work film produces. Film pushes him to get it right in-camera instead of fixing things later. Plus, he argues that there’s something about film that’s hard to explain but immediately noticeable, a quality that digital (even with filters) doesn’t quite replicate.
And when you look at his work, you can see it. His photos feel cinematic, which is a product of his approach, but also his early visual training, one that came from all those classic 90s films. Kai was (and still is, sounds like) obsessed by films from directors like Christopher Nolan, Steven Spielberg, and Stanley Kubrick. “They don’t have to explain anything… they just show it to you and you feel it,” he says. That same philosophy carries into his own photography: no over-explanation, no forced narrative, just images that make you feel something, and scenes that make you curious.
We dove into the creation of Kai’s upcoming book too, “Echoes of the Unseen,” which promises to be an incredible collection of work, and Kai talked candidly about the challenges that come with book-making.
At the end of the day, Kai isn’t just making photographs, he’s leaving behind a record. Whether it’s a box of old prints, a future photo book, or an image hanging in someone’s home, it all serves the same purpose: to make sure something lasts.
And there’s something pretty powerful about that.
Watch this episode on YouTube
A Selection of Kai’s Photos
Where to Find Kai
Website
Instagram
Kai Diaz: Living Forever (SPM Feature)
