sublime photo

THE SUBLIME FINE ART OF A FASHION PHOTOGRAPHER

Thai lenswoman of the moment talks about her ascent to the top.

By: Onsiri Pravattiyagul

Published: 14/03/2009 found at bangkokpost.com

Chutharut Pornmuneesoonthorn won’t get a job as a hairdresser anytime soon. Her latest hair handiwork graces itself in contrast to the new cut of her decade long boyfriend Jakkapong “Song” Siririn, the bassist of Paradox known for his crazy stunts and cross-dressing costumes. The supposed-to-be-straight ear-length bob is lopsided, and looks like more of a zig zag than a line. Maybe it’s an intentional attempt to complement Jakkapong’s famed eccentric yet amicable behaviour, but, as bad as it might sound, the cut is definitely of street fashion material. He teases her about it, but is adamant she doesn’t change or fix it.

Not that Chutharut needs to attend a beauty school to become a hair stylist to mark her place in the world when she’s already been the toast of the photography community for quite some times now. Among the glittering sea of straight- and gay-male-dominated fashion photography world, Chutharut stands firmly, proudly and deservedly among the top of the top. She has been as much in demand as other household names, and her work can be spotted in high-end-magazine editorial shoots as well as hip fashion house catalogues from Sretsis to Greyhound.

Petite and laid back, Chutharut speaks at a slower pace with the slightest changes in tone and volume, but she cracks jokes with a deadpan face followed by a tiny smile. Set against the loud rambunctious world of clothes and bitchiness she inhabits, Chutharut, with a surprisingly reserved exterior and subdued manner, is somehow an oddball yin in the chaotic world of yang; a slower walker in the fast moving world, but equally as erratic, as you can see in her photos.

Her works are also of a peculiar nature as they call for further contemplation rather than force feeding their fashion message. Every picture with Chutharut’s stamp on it transpires to be awe-inspiring and thought provoking. That’s how Chutharut works her flowing magic – accidental beauty being captured through a keen eye and fine craftswomanship. Her works command attention and repeated viewings with their cool, collected subtleness combined with well-hidden edges and a shadowy sense of weirdness – the kinds of pictures that leave lasting impressions rather than instant but fleeting shock and awe; high fashion at its most creative. But don’t ask Chutharut to pigeonhole her style, for it will leave the pint-size lenswoman flabbergasted for a long while.

“I can’t answer this question,” she said, pausing for a long time. “I don’t know how I differ from others because I don’t know their working processes well enough to compare them with my own. My thought process goes back and forth all the time, and what I aim to achieve is to ignite further ideas in people. They don’t even have to have the same ideas, but just to think. Then again, I guess I’m already happy when people remember my works,” she said.

Chutharut grew up in a small, dry Isan province called Chaiyapum. Her fascination with cameras began during childhood.

“My elder siblings are quite a bit older than me. When I was kid, I had a chance to see their cameras, which they used for school, but they never allowed me to touch them. So I told myself I would get my own camera one day,” she said.

Following her siblings, she moved to Bangkok during grade 10, and later gained admission to study art education at Chulalongkorn University. The teaching work experience with second graders prompted her to steer away from a teaching career. Chutharut took photography classes as electives and fell in love with the craft.

“I couldn’t get enough of it. I was never bored when taking classes. I knew I liked it very much, and I could do this as a living. I made up my mind that I wanted to make photography my career,” Chutharut said.

Regularly honing her skills by randomly shooting and building up a portfolio, Chutharut landed a job as a photographer upon graduation at the short lived Freeze magazine. She brushed aside the comment that her portfolio must have been strong to be chosen right out of school and added: “Oh, the editor was my senior at Chulalongkorn.” Freeze lasted for only two issues, but Chutharut fondly recalled how much she learned under the helm of the now famous, award winning music video director, Kamolchanok Somjaipeng, who was the photography editor. She said she got so many chances to learn from him as he granted her many opportunities to try out her skills, giving her advice along the way. It was also at Freeze that she met her most prominent mentor, the preeminent Grand Dame of fashion and photography Punsiri Siriwetchapun.

“I assisted him in one shoot for the magazine, and I really liked his working style and his works. I was, and still am, in awe of him, you could say. So when Freeze called it quits, I asked to intern for him, and he said yes. I learned so much from him. I think Punsiri was born to teach and to give. He doesn’t hog knowledge, and he’s very generous. When one of his assistants quit, I got the job. He taught me a lot – from techniques to people skills to contact management. I used to steal his polaroids, keeping them in a scrap book, noting his different techniques and things,” she said.

After almost two years with Punsiri, Chutharut decided to further her studies in London where she gained a diploma in fashion, styling and photography at the London College of Fashion. The London years, she said, helped her find her own voice and her own way as well as thought organisation and confidence when it comes to fashion photography. When she returned to Bangkok in 2001, she landed herself jobs through her stronger portfolio. It was as if she floated out and breezed right back in without having to try that much considering how tough it normally is to get commissions from top fashion magazines. The works truly spoke for themselves as well as the aid of lady luck so it seemed.

“Yeah, everything just fell into place. I don’t know why,” she said.

Being one of very few females – if not the only – at the pinnacle of photography among her male counterparts is not something that Chutharut concerns herself with.

“I feel indifferent being a girl in this job. I don’t think about it. But actually, being female sometimes gives you different perspectives and, yes, female intuition comes into play too. I can’t shoot for men’s mags because my definition of ‘sexiness’ and theirs are totally different. I tried before and it didn’t work at all,” she said.

To Chutharut, fashion photography is purely about style, and it’s up to those behind the lens to make it more interesting and profound. She has dabbled in art exhibitions and VDO arts, and is keen to explore these realms further, but remains adamant that fashion and fashion photography are as creative as it comes.

“Fashion is fine art. They go together. Photos from the pages of Vogue or other magazines have been put in big, important galleries. Even if we deal with fashion, we can capture personal, cultural, political and social elements too. It has been done plenty of times. There’s more to it than pretty things or coolness. That’s the point I’d like to get across,” she said.