Q: Can you briefly tell us about your background and what inspired you to pursue photography?
I was given an older DSLR camera as a present and had no idea how to make use of the many functions. I joined a photography group in Bangkok that I found on the internet and went on a few photography trips that expanded my photographic knowledge on how to operate the DSLR assisted by other members of the group.
After I had the basic knowledge, I kept practicing and went out shooting every weekend.
What inspired me was the fact that photographs capture moments that may not happen again. I can share the moments with family and friends and with different kinds of feelings.
Q: What drove you to submit your work to the IPA competition and your thoughts on how winning this competition impacted your artistic journey?
I have a full-time job and photography is just a hobby.
As I would like to be a professional photographer, I need to build up my portfolio and recognition. IPA is the most well-known photography award and it is a perfect platform to achieve my goal.
I started my journey with IPA in 2022 and lucky enough to win the award in 2023.
Winning the IPA award was a big deal as my work has been displayed globally. I have the right path to grow my photography career to become a professional photographer.
Q: Could you describe any challenges you faced while capturing this moment (winning image/s)?
This series was taken from a skywalk in Bangkok during the 3-day Songkran festival (Thai New Year) in mid-April 2023.
I spent a lot of time on the skywalk, patiently waiting for trucks with people with their water pistols and huge buckets of water.
Some of the trucks sped through at high speed, I had to balance between the speed shutter and ISO in order to get sharp photos with low noise.
Q: What, in your opinion, are the most important factors in creating great images?
Luck, patience and perseverance.
To take a great photo, you need to be in the right place, right time, right equipment, right camera settings, etc. In order to get all the conditions right, you need to be lucky or you need to keep going back/doing it until you get the photo.
Q: What do you find to be the most challenging aspect of photography?
To come up an idea/a concept for a photography project is challenging because it has to suit my schedule as I have a full-time job, it has to be interesting and achievable.
Q: What motivates and drives your photography?
I try to keep practicing photography by coming up with photography projects.
When I work on a photography project, I will have to plan how to achieve it such as where, when to photograph, if I cannot find the subject I want, what would the alternative be, etc.
Q: What’s next for you in your career as a photographer?
Currently, photography is a hobby, I would like to become a professional photographer. It is a long way to go as I will have to keep building up my portfolio and recognition.