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Rising-star photographer on how to get the perfect shot

An interview with rising-star street photographer Jakkarin “Tim” Moonmanus, who recently won Mercedes-Benz photoshoot contest

7 years ago
city living
By GROVE | Feb 26, 2018
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An interview with rising-star street photographer Jakkarin “Tim” Moonmanus, who recently won Mercedes-Benz photoshoot contest

  • By GROVE
  • | Feb 26, 2018
He might be known for shooting beautiful architecture and bright city lights, but rising-star photographer Jakkarin “Tim” Moonmanus who has some serious automotive photography chops as well. He recently won the Grow up. Define Your Own Way Photoshoot Contest with his photo sets highlighting the charming, refined sportiness of a Mercedes-Benz cruising Bangkok’s more rough and urban areas. Here, he discusses the concept behind his set and how he finds Bangkok appealing from a photography perspective.

When did you want to become a photographer?

I started out just for fun, then I discovered Instagram, which inspired me a lot. I went through tons of portfolios from international photographers and was like “wow, I want to be able to do that." Their styles were so unique and unlike what I’d seen before. After that, I pushed my self every day to discover my own style. 

 

Most of your work is done in Bangkok, what do you find so charming about this city?

Bangkok has an interesting balance of cultures from all corners of the country. Bangkok is the center, the hub. People from across the nation come here to live, so there’s a rich diversity to the urban culture here. Also, the vast lightes and streets make this a very colorful place. 

 

What’s your favorite spot in Bangkok?

I usually go to Yaowarat, there’s a lot of energy and diversity from the locals, merchants and tourists who live and visit there. It is also the district that never sleeps, so you can see beautiful lights everywhere, no matter what time it is.

What’s the concept of this Mercedes-Benz photoshoot?

It's just a combination of several things that I love: urban street style and Mercedes-Benz. I want to use my style of shooting architecture, lights and symmetry to aestheticize this beautiful car.

I chose to do the photoshoot at night because there would still be decent light from the streets and shops, but it wouldn't be so crowded. So me and my team drove around town searching for some good locations. Then we found the tunnel. It was so quiet and had beautiful lighting, so we stopped the car right there and did the shoot. That’s why most photos in that set were shot in the tunnel.

 

Any difficulties during the shoot?

Shooting cars is hard because you have to emphasis its shape, you have to make it look like it’s really moving, which requires a lot of technique. Shooting in a tunnel is also hard because of the darkness invovled and the other cars that occasionally drive down there (very fast!). We had to be extra careful to prevent accidents.
 

What’s your favorite shot in the set?

There's a photo where I had to sit on the trunk of another car and shoot a Mercedes-Benz GLA that was driving behind us. This took us forever to get right. We ended up making 10 atempts before we got the knockout shot.
 

Do you actually like driving in Bangkok?

Well, owning a car is really convenient as a photographer, it means you don’t have to carry all your heavy equipment around everywhere and risk having back pain. Plus, you don’t have to use public transportation, which is inefficient and sometime risky in Bangkok.

 

Any tips on driving in Bangkok without losing your mind over the traffic?

I think a lot of this anger is caused by our own rashness and indiscipline. Drivers just need to be a little bit calmer and think about the rules a little more. For me, I usually sing while driving to prevent myself from feeling mad, or I choose not drive during rush hour. 
 

Any advice for aspiring photographers?

Practice, practice, practice. Just try to find your own style by taking lots of photos—you can use a DSLR, digital camera, phone, whatever you have. What will make you a better photographer isn’t your equipment, it’s your experience.

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