A street photographer’s search for that ‘perfect’ moment
View(s):- Thai photographer Tavepong Pratoomwong’s exhibition “Good Day, Bad Day But Everyday” ends today
Tavepong Pratoomwong and below some of his photographs on display
By Arrenga Nadaraja
“Sometimes you can get different photographs by accident, and for me, it is the best moment,” says award-winning Thai street photographer Tavepong Pratoomwong, whose exhibition “Good Day, Bad Day But Everyday” is currently on at the Siam Nivasa.
Today Sunday, October 27, is the last day to catch the exhibition presented by the Royal Thai Embassy and the Streets of Colombo Photography Collective.
In his talk at the exhibition, Tavepong recounted how it all began in a university library. In his early days a photograph he took of a local man submitted to the National Geographic won an award.
After a hiatus, his photography journey was reignited in late 2013 when his wife surprised him with a ticket to Varanasi, India. Prior to the trip, he had won a Sony camera and the experience became a pivotal moment that restarted his journey.
“Leaving it unposed” is most vital for him when taking a photograph, he said, sharing a story about a day out on the streets, where he didn’t get anything he liked. But looking through his photographs later, he found one that he had taken of a girl with a green sheet on her back. He liked how the sheet in the image was shaped like a triangle and also how the image was composed.
“I usually look for people doing activities far away,” he said, urging us to “take till the moment is gone.”
“Even though the photo is not sharp we can have an illusion.”
He described several images in detail, but one in particular of a dog at sunset. He had followed the dog in the sunlight for five days and taken different compositions.
“I was most excited when I tried to put the sun in the dog’s ear.”
Talking of his search for juxtaposition, one memorable photograph was of animals and people juxtaposed in unique ways, illustrating how unexpected moments often produce the best results, finding it in different forms, whether by placing photographs close to each other, next to each other, or overlapping.
Tavepong left the audience with a powerful message: “If you truly dedicate yourself, there is nothing you cannot achieve.” He concluded with the reminder, “Luck will not come to you if you don’t go out and take photos.”
Added Johann Latiff, founder of the Streets of Colombo Photography Collective, “He absolutely makes his own luck. When he’s on the street, he really goes for it.”
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