Turn on the Lights

Turn on the Light

EN At the start of 2025, James was diagnosed with a malignant tumor and began chemotherapy. Due to a clerical error in his medical report, his health insurance was canceled early in treatment—forcing him to pay for everything out-of-pocket.

His doctor warned that exhaustion and depression were the treatment’s most common side effects—and that the best antidote to both was exercise and positivity. That advice stuck. In one of the darkest chapters of his life, James chose to fight back with light: the spark within him and the strength of those around him.

Turn On the Light takes its name from a magical line in the Harry Potter films and explores James’ ongoing theme of hope amid darkness. Each photograph is rooted in a different song that fuels his creativity, and many pieces feature James himself—including a deeply vulnerable work made mid-treatment to honor, rather than suppress, this pivotal experience.

James Miille,  is a fine art photographer known for his surreal, emotionally layered imagery that bridges reality and imagination. Drawing from personal experience and a deep love of music, James creates visual fables that explore vulnerability, identity, and resilience—often through dreamlike portraits of men that challenge traditional notions of beauty and strength.

His work has been exhibited internationally, with solo shows in New York, Paris, Miami, and now Mexico City. James' photographs have appeared in Architectural Digest and have resonated within both queer cultural spaces and the broader design world. His ongoing project, inspired by songs that have shaped his life, transforms sound into image—each photograph aiming to distill the emotional essence of music into a universal visual form.

Originally from California and now based in Mexico City, James studied at New York University and the Savannah College of Art and Design, where he continues to develop new bodies of work that are intimate, fantastical, and deeply human.