Last month Thai photographer Angkul "Oak" Sungthong, 36, received an Honorable Mention in the Best Street Photograph category of the international photo fest StreetFoto San Francisco. Here, he talks to us about what it means to be a street photographer and bemoans Bangkok's lack of trees. 

Tell us about the photo you submitted to StreetFoto?

It’s a photo that I took on the skywalk above Ratchaprasong. There’s this corner and a hole where the sunlight shines through at noon—at noon only—in the shape of a spotlight. It was a coincidence discovering this spot. I visited it like every noon after that trying to find the right angle and the right moment. I love the contrast of the colors.I just needed that decisive moment. I must have spent months taking hundreds of photos before getting the one I submitted to StreetFoto. The light looks like a spotlight shining on someone. I was a bit shocked but super-excited to get the honorable mention.

What first drew you to photography?

It started out as a hobby. I studied Visual Communication Art and Design at Srinakharinwirot University, which meant photography was part of the course. I loved taking the class, though most of the photos I took then were in portraits. I didn’t know about street photography. I just knew that I didn’t like taking portraits that much. It was the beginning of my photography journey. 

What is street phography to you?

It's photography that fits three conditions: it's unstaged, taken publicly and captures the decisive moment. It's not like you can walk outside and have someone photograph while you pretend there's noone there. That’s a snapshot. A good photo isn’t always about its beauty. Good street photography will make people question what they're looking at. 

What inspires you to take street photos?

There are two things, though I’m not sure if they can be counted as inspiration or not: love and challenges. If you love what are you doing, nothing and no one will be able to stop you from doing it. Also, personally I love challenges. And street photography is nothing like taking a cool snapshot or a beautiful portrait. It requires loads of patience and luck. You are not the one in control of the scene. You are the one who stands behind the camera, prepared for the right moment to happen. You hear of street photographers who wait months or years to get the right shot. Learning new things helps me to broaden my perspective. It's all about self-discovery. No one can teach you how to get that one photo. Of course, there are theories and rules but to take a good street photo, it can cost you sweat and blood or it can just happen by accident. That’s life—it's not always fair. 

How long have you been doing street photography?

I started taking it seriously two years ago now. It’s been fun but also tough. I still have a lot to learn. When I started out, I thought I was good because I’d finished studying photography at university. So I took a set of photos which I believed to street photos and submitted them to the admins of the Street Photo Thailand Facebook page. I waited for their response. These admins take street photography seriously. In the end, none of my photos passed their criteria. They basically told me my works were not close to good street photos; in fact, they were not street photos. My face went numb and all of my self-confidence drained away at that moment. But I told myself that I would never give up until they accepted my photos. That’s when I started to do some research and take street photography seriously.  

As a street photographer, have you noticed any particular changes in the city?

Yes. The obvious one is less interaction between peopley. In my recent photos, I often notice people are busy with their phones or zoning out with their headphones on. I’m neither sad nor happy about this because I get that it’s the way things are nowadays. You know, the more the city grows, the more people become busy with their own lives. But what upsets me is that there are less and less trees in this city. In my photos, it’s really obvious that people still depend on trees although we’ve been neglecting them. The pictures prove to me that people follow where the trees are. Whenever I take a photo that has a tree in it, there’ll be people standing or sitting under it. We depend on trees in our daily life. I’ve seen this taxi motorbike guy who basically lives in a tree at the back of Chamchuri Square. He eats there, takes a nap there, and when it’s too hot he sits inside its huge hole. Trees in this city are under threat because we don’t really see their necessity and when it's all gone, it’ll be gone forever.

It sounds like you are planning to do something related to this. 

Yes. I'm currently working on a new street photography project that shows the relationship between this city, its people and the trees. It will come out soon. Right now I don’t want to go into details about it. But I’m so excited to see it happen soon. I hope that it will make people question and realize that our city is losing its touch with nature and we need to do something about it.