Flooded with pictures

Flooded with pictures

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SOCIAL & LIFESTYLE

Miti Ruangkritya, 32, got his Master of Arts in Photojournalism at London’s University of Westminster. His works have been featured in various foreign and local publications. After numerous group exhibitions in Thailand and abroad, the photographer has his first solo exhibition entitled "Imagining Flood" at Kathmandu Photo Gallery (Through Apr 28. Tue-Sun 11am-7pm, 87, Pan Road, Silom, 02-234-6700) . The showcase features images of 2011’s flood crisis in Bangkok as captured by Miti. The photos were previously displayed in two exhibitions outside Thailand before being given their debut here. Visit the gallery to see the saddening, yet mesmerising photos. The images are also featured in the book Imagining Flood , which is available in limited copies and can be purchased by contacting Miti (miti139@hotmail.com, www.mi-ti.com) .

WHAT KIND OF PHOTOGRAPHER WOULD YOU SAY YOU ARE?

I use the medium of photography to express what I want to express. I wouldn't call myself a photojournalist because I find it's quite limiting to what I'm actually doing. I tend to pick up on things that are near me or look mundane and put my own spin on it.

WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO PHOTOGRAPH THE FLOODS?

During that time, I was staying in Udomsuk which is near Phra Khanong and it was considered to be at risk of flooding. I started to notice people who were affected by the flood. There was a lot of fear in the air. I was shooting the flood crisis for a foreign newspaper and that gave me contact to people whose lives were being affected. So while I was working for the newspaper, I thought of another approach to take photos of the flooding. Something that was more of a personal reaction.

YOUR FLOOD PHOTOS ARE ALL TAKEN AT NIGHT AND DON'T FEATURE ANY PEOPLE. ANY PARTICULAR REASON FOR THIS?

At first I had no intention to only shoot at night. A lot of my projects happen almost haphazardly. I was at Arun Amarin intersection and there were topiaries in the shape of animals. They looked like drowning animals, and at night, the scene looked so helpless. I had a tripod with me and I took a picture and that was how the project began. Also, when you shoot at night, the darkness can totally change the personality of a landscape. The colours and shadows can heighten the scene with a sense of surrealism that you would not see every day.

WHAT KIND OF REACTION DO YOU HOPE TO GET FROM YOUR AUDIENCE?

Initially, when you see these pictures, you might think they look quite beautiful. But when you look deeper you may notice there's something wrong about them. I tried to capture the fear that a lot of us experienced during the flood.

DID WORKING ON THIS PROJECT AFFECT YOU IN ANY WAY?

It was quite serene to go out at night to take photos. It was like experiencing a totally different city from the Bangkok that I know. I came across some dead rats but nothing too severe. I guess I was lucky. Only after the shooting was done did I realise the experience took a toll on me. At the end of the day it wasn't a happy subject. I took two months off to leave some emotion behind before I went back to properly edit the images.G

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