JKBOY

Born in 1983, Jatenipat Ketpradit, alias JKboy, has practised photography for about ten years. In 2017, he joined the top 100 of the International Landscape Photographer of the Year, and has since collaborated with major magazines such as National Geographic (Spain), The Guardian (UK), Bangkok Post (Thailand) or the technical Photo and Technique International Magazine. He is also a member of the Nikon Professional Service and a guest lecturer at the Nikon School. On a trip to Mongolia, he shared the lives of several Mongolian tribes. It was a revelation, and since then, Jatenipat Ketpradit has roamed the world, setting out to meet peoples in the remotest parts of the world. The series of photos that YellowKorner is presenting is the one for which he obtained the award of International Portrait Photographer of the Year in 2022. It is a portrait of a man from the Suri tribe in Ethiopia, accompanied by his children and holding a machine gun in his hand. The contrast between his traditional garb and this weapon is striking: “I took this photo to show the conflicts that the Suri are confronted with as part of their way of life,” stresses the photographer. ... See more See less

Anedocte

Focus on JKboy - Wild territories
Jatenipat Ketpradit, aka JKboy, shakes up the codes of documentary photography by proposing vibrant landscapes with saturated colors and portraits of tribes with neat compositions.

When "Lord of the Rings" meets National Geographic
Jatenipat Ketpradit says he is inspired by the world of fantasy, citing the film trilogy from the iconic series of novels by J. R. R. Tolkien. By scripting his shots, the Thai artist emancipates himself from the rules of traditional reportage and gives us an aesthetic reading of his explorations around the globe.

Views from elsewhere
Explosion of colors, play of light, JKboy pays tribute to the cultural heritage of the tribes he meets, without falling into the trap of exaggerated exoticism. The poses are often frontal, the looks proud, the infinite landscapes as a decor. Is it the viewer who contemplates these men and women from the other side of the world or the models themselves who observe us through the lens?

A tribe called quest
There is something timeless about the subject matter and yet the use of contemporary photographic techniques creates a kind of anachronism in the very essence of these images. Flash, post-production: the photographer does not hide his desire to sublimate reality by drawing on the aesthetic codes of cinema. Tradition and modernity confront each other and highlight the problems of these ancestral tribes, threatened by the industrial world as well as the threatened by the industrial world as well as the climatic stakes of our time.

References

Exhibitions

People and their World
Exposition SOLO (Portrait) River City Bangkok, Thaïlande (2022).

Creation of the World
Exposition SOLO (Paysage) "333 Gallery", Bangkok, Thaïlande (2022).

Awards

Overall winner of the 2022 International Portrait Photographer of the Year
2022

The second place in the International Portrait photographer of the year (Family sitting)
2021

Award winner of Photographer of the Year at One Eyeland Awards
4 Gold and 1 Bronze, 2021

TOP 100 International Landscape photographer of the year
2017

In addition, his works have been published in the local and International magazines such as:

Lonely Planet
Digital Camera World
Digital SLR Photography
PetaPixel
National Geographic (Espana)
Photo & Technique International Magazine
The Guardian (UK)
The Times (UK)
View Magazine (Germany)
DOCMA Magazine (Germany)
Bangkok Post (Thailand)
South China Morning Post (China)
and more

Interview

Why photography ?

I love art and painting, I'm good at coloring but not good at drawing so the camera help me to draw a subject for me and let me use lighting to painting the picture.

Your inspiration ?

I have appreciated the histories and the story of legend. One day, I traveled to Mongolia and had the opportunity to live with them. They are vagabond aborigines. I felt impressive in their cultures, personalities, an uniforms. I felt those things are very appealing. I appreciate those things very much. Like the geographies, the histories and the legends. Until, I saw those pictures appear in my real life. It more than reading books or watching in the documentary.

What is unique in your photographs ?

I do both of Landscape and Portrait photography so I combine the technique together. In my portrait photo would be capture and present landscape and atmosphere and persective presentation that make my photo look like painting. I always have final image before shoot, do research a lot before go to shoot.

The context of creation of your new series

An exotic tribal culture and their sacred ceremony in Asia.

Your next projects ?

Mongolia, Shaman and sacred ceremony and The tribe in Papua new guinea.

Any anecdote for us ?

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to publish my work. and pass on inspiration through my photos to many people around the world.

The picture you would have loved to shoot ?

I am an outdoor traveler always seeking for an exciting experience. I always visit the people in remote area and spend time with them. Most of my work is about exotic tribal culture and landscape photography.

The latest prizes / awards / prides you got ?

2022, The overall winner of the 2022 International Portrait Photographer of the Year 2021, Award winner of Photographer of the Year at One Eyeland Awards 2021, Gold maiden for People - Portrait photography at One Eyeland Awards 2021, 2 x Gold maiden for People - Culture photography at One Eyeland Awards 2021, Bronze maiden for Architecture – Historical photography at One Eyeland Awards 2021, The second place in the International Portrait photographer of the year (Family sitting) 2017, TOP 100 International Landscape photographer of the year

Your motto ?

Expect less, Get more.

Any crush on a YK picture ?

I like Marc Adamus’s photos.

When did you start practicing photography? What is your professional background?

I have been in photography for 10 years. Study and develop the technique by myself. I’m NPS (Nikon Professional Service) and has been invited to be a trainer speaker at Nikon School.

When and for what purpose did you realize these photographs or this series of photographs?

I would like to be the representative of tribes. To let the people, know how they live, What their culture are to communicate with outside world. To be a representative to spread their believes and cultures.

Is it a personal project or an order?

Always the Personal project.

What photographic process did you employ and what were the intended effects?

While taking a photo, opposite to the sun. I use a strobe flash to open detail in the shadow. Then use Adobe photoshop and Camera Raw program to make final image look like come from film cinematic camera.

What are your main sources of influence (photographers, cinema, music, art…)? And for this specific work?

“Lord Of The Ring” is creating my inspiration of many of my work. I also make final image look like come from film cinematic camera

Which message do you want to convey through your photographs?

... See more See less