Every time Jitawat takes in image, he consciously divides the scene into three sections; the foreground, the subject and the background. Some scenes do not require all three, but this helps him determine the lighting before him as well as tackling composition.
“I like to show the greatness of the waves, for this I use aperture f/8 up to f/11. I usually test this out a few times as sometimes I want a quieter image so I adjust the shutter speed in accordance, allowing the waves to either have a strong presence or be quieter. Next, a focus on elements like stones, I like to have the light hitting these as it give my images a 3 dimensional feel. Lastly, my most important rule is to make sure the horizon line is aligned, no tilting!”
When it comes to shooting in low-light conditions, he will always use a long shutter speed to get the lighting exactly right. A tripod is a must to stabilize the image and this means he doesn’t have to have a higher ISO, as if it is too high there may be noise in the image.
His favourite image is titled ‘Crazy wave, Crazy sky & Sleep stone’; the image depicts the waves thrashing through a bed of rocks whilst an orange blaze rips through the sky.
“I shot this at Laem Sai, it is a group of rocks commonly used by fisherman to perch on. As it is a high point that is surrounded by deep sea, there are no sandy beaches nearby, thus the waves can be quite dangerous, especially in monsoon season!
“Despite this, the images you can get out there are just outrageous! There are strange sharp rocks surrounding you, the great sea pounding and you can feel the energy of the sun with all its power.”