Bored Panda reached out to Pratoomwong to learn more about him and his creative process. The photographer has revealed that he has held a deep fascination for photography for quite some time. Yet, his passion for taking photos had dwindled until late in 2013, when his wife pleasantly surprised him with an anniversary present – a ticket to Varanasi, India. "That ticket, that trip became the moment that inspired me to start taking pictures again," Pratoomwong added.
After returning to Thailand, Pratoomwong became part of Street Photo Thailand's "365 Days in 2014" project initiated by Noppadol Weerakitti. This led him to head out every day and capture photos.
Street photography is a type that relies on sharp eyes for details and the ability to capture moments as they unfold in an instant. Naturally, we asked Pratoomwong if he's ever faced any challenges as a photographer. Additionally, we were curious to know the most rewarding aspect of being a photographer. The artist replied that he believes the advantage of this type of photography is that it makes him an observant person. "I think being observant is a crucial component of being a good photographer, regardless of the type of photography. However, in street photography, we not only need to be observant but also always ready to take a picture in the spur of the moment."
"Actually, if you practice and look at this kind of photography enough, you can start to see scenes briefly, especially using the Juxtaposition technique, which relies on finding connections in the things around us. But the photos I like are often moments I never expected to happen, like the one with a seagull snatching a fish from a cat or a picture of a man who looks like he's about to fall. As a photographer, my duty is to capture these magical moments because the value of this type of photography is that some images may only come your way once. For me, a good photograph is one that even the photographers themselves can't recreate, no matter how hard they try."
After we asked Pratoomwong what he wishes for his viewers to take away from the photographs, the photographer replied that he simply hopes viewers will enjoy his perspective on this world and the things happening around us. "Some of the photos I've taken in the past have had many young children approach me and tell me they were inspired to try street photography because of me. It feels great to be an inspiration to them and to have fun every time I see new works from emerging photographers."
The picture that Pratoomwong likes the most is a personal one. "It's the cover photo of my first photobook. It's a picture of a young girl running with a blanket, and it looks like she's floating. This picture was taken one morning when I went out to photograph the old part of the city. I came across a couple of kids playing. They seemed to be wrapped in green-patterned blankets. I approached the two kids and lifted my camera to take a shot. They noticed me and started running away. At that moment, I ran after them and took some playful shots. It wasn't a moment I had planned to capture; it was more like a reaction to tease the kids. I continued following them for another 3-4 minutes and didn't review the initial shots where they were running away because I didn't think I would get a good photo. Throughout the day, I kept taking photos, but I still didn't find one I liked.
The funny thing is when I was driving back home, I called a close friend and complained that I hadn't gotten any good photos that day. However, when I got home and looked through all the pictures again, I discovered the magical moment in this one. What's even more remarkable about this photo is that in the photobook, on the left page, which is usually blank or contains the page number, I specified the number of days it took me to capture that photo. I started the project of taking a photo every day on January 1, 2014, and when I counted the days until I took this picture, it was exactly 1,111 days. It's a beautiful coincidence, isn't it?"
