Chaiwat Subprasom

Chaiwat Subprasom

Based
Bangkok, Thailand
Born
Pitsanulok Province, Thailand
Status
Photographer
“A good photo, for me, is best explained by the mood it conveys.”

Beat

I cover general news, politics, sport and feature stories in Thailand.

One Shot

. BANGKOK, Thailand. REUTERS/Chaiwat Subprasom
An aircraft flies past a solar eclipse in Bangkok.
“My favourite image has got to be taken in 2010. At that time, there were more than 30 photographers waiting to get their best shots as well, but I felt that I was best able to capture the moment.”

Profile

My older sister took a photography course while she was still studying. She passed on all she knew about taking photos. When we travelled together, she would be the one teaching me the different techniques. That's how we started to build up our photography skills and knowledge.

I spent 10 years working at several local newspapers in Bangkok after earning my bachelor’s degree in 1993. The first camera I ever owned was a Nikon FM that I bought for my first job in 1993. I still have it to this day.

My first big assignment at Reuters was the 2004 Asian Tsunami. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, filled with tension and suspense at every turn as we uncovered the effects of the natural disaster. It was also challenging due to the logistical problems of covering an event like that. Even so, I found it a worthwhile and unforgettable experience as a photographer.

During the bird flu epidemic in Thailand in 2003, I learnt to be aware of how to stay safe while working, to keep out of harm’s way especially from something that can’t be seen.

A good photo, for me, is best explained by the mood it conveys. If a photographer can capture the moment that best depicts the mood of the subject, then that to my mind creates the best photo – and in the process tells the story as well as possible. A picture can often say much more than words can.

The assignment that left the biggest mark on me has to be the one during which a man punched a monk in the face, while another man is yanking on his robe during the pro-government "red shirt" protest in Thailand in 2014. To me, the unanswered question that was always in my mind was, “Why did he have to attack the monk?”