Kankavee Karnjanadecha

Tell us a little bit about yourself.
My name is Kankavee, so people call me Kan; hence my Instagram name KanKankavee. I am from Bangkok, Thailand. I came to Boston 2 years ago and started seriously taking photos just earlier this year.

When did you realize your passion for photography?
At first, I started following Instagram accounts like Igerboston just to see what’s happening around town since I was pretty new here. Gradually, as I see more styles and points of view in the photographs, I came to appreciate their beauty a lot more. So, I started taking photos too. At first, I used a GoPro camera just because I already had it. It was a lot of fun. It was a perfect excuse to travel around. I would try to find new places to go and unique angles to take photos. I also started learning to edit photos from online tutorial.

Around the end of last year, I bought a Fuji XT10 and I was addicted. It was around then that I started seriously taking photos, but still as a hobby. I realized then that this is a perfect way for me not only to keep the memory of places I live in and travel to, but to portray how I see the cities and the world to other people that see my photos. To be honest, I am not good with words, so photography is really perfect for me in expressing my creativity and who I am.

What is your advice to aspiring photographers on Instagram?
My best advice is to be honest with yourself and your style; just find what you like and try to do it best. Yet don’t be afraid to change if you want to, but do not change just to follow other people. It is important to keep learning from other people but always find your own angle. I actually started doing just black and white photographs, I thought that’s what I liked and did best. Then one day, I tried creating one in colors, I was excited about it; so now I don’t limit myself to just black and whites anymore.

The other advice I have is just to enjoy what you do. The best feeling I have when taking photography is when I have a bad day and thought that I was also going to be a bad photo day but I went out taking photos anyway. Then a good photo turned up and that really made my day.

Anything else you’d like to share?
I really love the photographing community on Instagram. Honestly, it has played a really important role in my journey, being both my inspiration and mentor. I have attended many IGerBoston and similar events held by various accounts and I have met many people whom I have been following and admiring. I feel that the communities are really supportive and I love it.

Instagram: @kankankavee