H/T boredpanda
Tavepong Pratoomwong is an award-winning photographer based in Bangkok, Thailand. His photographs capture unexpected coincidences, delightful moments, and quirky details. His love of street photography has allowed him to take striking images that provoke deep reflection. The collection of Pratoomwong’s images we have put together is both uplifting and humorous. Pratoomwong’s camera is like a magic wand, transforming mundane moments in the crowded streets of India or the beautiful landscapes of Thailand into magical stories. With each mouse click, he invites us to share in his appreciation of the extraordinary in the ordinary.
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Image credit: tavepong_street
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Bored Panda made inquiries about Pratoomwong’s sources of inspiration and techniques. The photographer has admitted that he has long been interested in the medium. But towards the end of 2013, his wife delightfully surprised him with an anniversary present—a plane ticket to Varanasi, India. When Pratoomwong said, “That ticket, that trip, became the moment that inspired me to start taking pictures again,” he meant it.
When Pratoomwong got back to Thailand, he joined Noppadol Weerakitti’s “365 Days in 2014” project with Street Photo Thailand. Because of this, he began going outside every day to take pictures. It takes a keen eye for detail and the ability to freeze time to create truly remarkable photographs in the street photography genre. We had to ask if Pratoomwong had ever had any difficulties as a photographer.
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we were also interested in learning what photographers find most satisfying about their profession. The photographer responded that he finds that working in this genre has helped him become a more perceptive individual. I believe that, for any photographer, keen observation skills are an absolute must. However, to succeed in street photography, one must not only be perceptive but also prepared to capture images on the fly.
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Actually, with enough exposure to this style of photography, you can develop the ability to observe scenes in a flash, especially when employing the juxtaposition approach, which is predicated on the discovery of hidden relationships between seemingly unrelated objects. But the pictures I like best are usually of things I didn’t see coming, like the seagull stealing a fish from a cat or the man who appears to be about to fall.
It is my responsibility as a photographer to seize such fleeting opportunities, as unique shots like this may only present themselves once. In my opinion, an excellent shot is one that the photographers themselves have no way of recreating.
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Image credit: tavepong_street
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We asked Pratoomwong what he hoped people would take away from seeing his images, and he said he just hoped they’d appreciate seeing the world through his eyes. Many kids have come up to me and thanked me for inspiring them to try street photography with my earlier photographs. When I come across the work of aspiring photographers, it fills me with joy to know that I have inspired them. Pratoomwong’s favorite photograph is one of himself. It graces the front cover of my very first photobook. Pictured is what appears to be a young child floating while running with a blanket.
I took this photo early one morning while exploring the historic district of the city. As I was walking, I saw a couple of kids having fun. It appeared that they were covered with green blankets. I got in close to the two youngsters and raised the camera to my eye.
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Image credit: tavepong_street
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As soon as they saw me, they fled. Right then, I decided to chase them down and snap some photos of them having fun. It was more of a reaction to teasing the kids than a planned time to photograph. Since I didn’t think I’d get a good photo of them rushing away, I kept following them for another three to four minutes. I took dozens of shots all day long, but none of them turned out well.
I contacted a good friend on the way home and lamented that I hadn’t managed to take any decent pictures that day, which is ironic given that I was the one driving home. When I went home and reviewed the photos again, I noticed the extraordinary scene captured in this one. What makes this photo even more amazing is that on the photobook’s left page—typically blank or with the page number—
I wrote down the exact number of days it took me to take the picture. Since I began this project on January 1, 2014, 1,111 days have passed since I took the first photo in what would become a series of daily photos. A lovely coincidence, wouldn’t you say?
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