Jatenipat Ketpradit

Jatenipat Ketpradit (Thailand), also known as “JKboy,” is an award-winning portrait and cultural photographer based in Bangkok. For more than 15 years, he has travelled across Asia, Africa and beyond, documenting cultural traditions, remote communities and landscapes through carefully composed images that celebrate identity, heritage and the connection between people and place.

Before becoming a photographer, Jatenipat studied engineering and worked as a network engineer. Realizing that it was not the life he wanted, he left his career, bought a small compact camera and travelled through southern Thailand. What began as a journey to discover what truly inspired him developed into a passion for photography, culture and visual storytelling.

Jatenipat often spends months researching and preparing his projects before living alongside the communities he photographs. He takes time to meet elders, learn local traditions, share meals and build trust before bringing out his camera. Returning with printed photographs is an important part of that relationship, allowing the people he photographs to keep and share their own images. His long-term work in Mongolia, including projects with eagle hunters, nomadic communities and the Tsaatan reindeer herders, contributed to his appointment as a Cultural Ambassador for Mongolia.

His photography has received major international recognition, including being named International Portrait Photographer of the Year in 2022, and has appeared in publications around the world. Yet for Jatenipat, the greatest reward is seeing younger generations reconnect with their heritage and feel proud of their traditional culture. He believes photography can do more than show a culture to the world: it can preserve memories, strengthen identity and help people recognize the beauty and value of their own traditions.