One of the defining characteristics of photojournalism or documentary photography is its ability to depict events as they unfold in real time, while simultaneously revealing their outcomes. For instance, in situations of political violence, photographs present both the unfolding of the event and its aftermath, showing traces such as damaged locations, injured people, and deaths.

This quality distinguishes such photography from artistic practices based on representation or metaphor, which are usually created retrospectively and therefore cannot fully encompass or substitute for the immediacy of real events. This leads to an observation that photographic art must be understood through a distinction between works derived from actual situations and those created through post-production or other manipulative processes. Nevertheless, both approaches can ultimately lead to the same conceptual outcome. However, the distinction between them has become increasingly blurred due to technological advancements that make it difficult to verify photographic truth in practice.



An interesting example is the sinkhole incident on September 24, 2025, in front of Vajira Hospital and the Samsen Police Station, which was the first major sinkhole ever recorded in Bangkok. Early that morning, images of the event circulated widely on social media. Many people did not believe they were real photographs, assuming instead that they were AI-generated images, since such phenomena had never been witnessed before and the photographs appeared rather surreal.

Later, after the event unfolded, the sinkhole images were further manipulated using AI, creating humorous variations in which different objects or figures were emerging from the hole. The blending of the real and the unreal, together with various creative processes, reflects the root causes of problems, a method characteristic of contemporary photographic art. A similar tendency could be observed before the advent of AI-generated imagery, when social media users in Bangkok edited photographs of post-rain flooding with Photoshop, inserting monsters or politicians held responsible for the situation.

This phenomenon may also point to a growing indifference to real issues, since the presence of simulated images can affect how people respond to situations and make decisions. In the worst-case scenario, as in the sinkhole incident, disbelief in a photograph’s authenticity could lead to real harm. If one assumed the image was fake and simply laughed it off, one might have fallen into the hole by failing to act in time. Other surreal scenarios, or even social problems that require awareness and collective action, could similarly be ignored. While this may not yet be entirely evident today, such situations are likely to become more visible in the near future.



A clear example of photographic work that captures the aftermath of major events is Bottle Melted and Deformed by Atomic Bomb Heat, Radiation and Fire, Nagasaki (1961) by Japanese photographer Shomei Tomatsu, which shows a glass bottle deformed by the atomic explosion, along with portraits of bomb survivors. Another is Aftermath – World Trade Center by Joel Meyerowitz, who documented the area known as Ground Zero after the 9/11 attacks. His series includes images of the devastated site, the recovery of debris, and portraits of the workers who labored tirelessly there.

Thailand’s 2011 Great Flood, which lasted for more than six months, also inspired several photographic projects. Thai photographers Miti Ruangkritya and Lek Kiatsirikajorn documented the disaster in different yet related ways. Miti’s Imagining Flood (2011) presents nighttime flood scenes that resemble an abandoned city, illuminated only by cold neon lights that evoke stillness and melancholy. In contrast, Lek’s Flowing Through the Wreckage of Despair portrays Bangkok’s flooded landscapes in daylight, with figures standing half-submerged and gazing toward the uncertain horizon. Both bodies of work capture a sense of helplessness among ordinary citizens, reflecting outcomes that could neither be controlled nor easily avoided.



The photographic project Bang Rakam Model by photographer Jirawat Tunprasert, continues this exploration. Shot at night, the series documents the remaining traces of the Bang Rakam Model water management project in the floodplains of the Yom River Basin, located in Phitsanulok and Sukhothai provinces. This project sought to transform the flood-prone Bang Rakam area into a “water retention area” or “monkey cheek”, with local communities participating in water management through practices such as advancing rice cultivation and earning supplementary income from fishing. However, there were also negative impacts: residents had to bear the public burden of sacrificing their land for the common good, leading to disruptions in daily life, dependence on boats for transportation, temporary relocation, and damage to houses and infrastructure from prolonged flooding, as well as issues of unfair compensation.

Each photograph in Jirawat’s series captures a lone object amid the floodwaters, bathed in drone light, like an actor under a spotlight. This work recalls Eiffel Chong’s Seascape (2015), which reflects on the peaceful coexistence of human-made structures and nature, and also echoes Miti Ruangkritya’s Imagining Flood mentioned earlier. The photographs of streets, houses, electricity poles, and spirit houses submerged in water are visually captivating, drawing viewers in with their mysterious beauty and delicate play of light. Yet beyond this surface beauty lies an underlying unease that resurfaces upon reflection.




About the Artist
Jirawat Tunprasert is a freelance photographer and a former guest photography lecturer at Chiang Mai University. His photographic works have received awards and been exhibited both in Thailand and abroad. Jirawat draws inspiration from various aspects of life and the things that interest him, such as nature, art, music, and people.
https://jirawattun.myportfolio.com