Tunyawat Chankrajang also known in the industry as ‘Smile’ heralds from Thailand and is a photographer that knows how to put a creative twist in his photography. His past experiences as an artist and art director, has taught Tunyawat to be more creative, and has inspired him to use props to elevate his photography. Read on as he shares tips and tricks to augment your portraits to the next level. 

Size Matters 

For portrait photography, Smile will shortlist locations for its lighting and colors. “There’s always an atmospheric mood and theme I chase after to brighten up my photography. Locations with great lighting produce less noise in photos as brightly lit places illuminate and reflect colors the best. This also means less time in editing and processing, as the photos are already close to picture perfect,” said Tunyawat. But not all locations are built equal. He finds small locations a disadvantage and restrictive. The size of the locations matters to Smile, and he feels that a bigger location allows more creativity than smaller spaces. 

Powerful Props 

Smile has no go-to list of props. Instead, he formulates a list based on the theme of his shoot. Only after the theme is finalised, would he begin compiling the props he needs. This practice helps him align his props use to his portraits and themes, as well as provides variance for his different shoots. 

“For this shoot, I chose ‘colorful and vivid’ as my theme, and I wanted to express this through the location, wardrobe, mood, and props. As most of the colors in the set was pastel in nature, it allowed me to be more casual and playful at the shoot. Here, I portrayed the adorable and charming expressions of the model to deliver my theme well,” said Tunyawat. 

In the Creative Portrait shoot using the Alpha 7 IV, Tunyawat chose to use artificial flowers as a prop. According to him, the pastel color of the flowers works well with the shoot and elevates the portraits which are also colorful and vivid to begin with. Smile also used materials such as compact discs, plastic sheets and drinking glasses to augment his photos. “Each material adds a different layer of character to the photo outcome, and knowing what to do with each, helps you refine the effect.” 
 
“Compact discs add a flare effect, while clear plastics creates a glow called ‘cinebloom’. On the other hand, glasses can provide two effects – ‘glass light leaks’ as well as ‘rainbow lens flare’. Photographers can achieve these effects by tilting and positioning the glass in different positions,” added Smile.  

Conversing to Better Photos 

Apart from his creative use of props, Tunyawat is also creative when working with new models. “I find it hard to work with models that I do not have a rapport with. I need a sense of familiarity with the subject, or it may result in tense and anxious photoshoot.” To work better with them, Smile has a tried and tested method to break the ice. “I make an effort to strike a conversation with the models before the shoot, and this has helped me work better, especially with newcomers. Building rapport through conversations help settle the mood, and it is the best technique I’ve applied so far,” said Smile.