I began my career photographing dance and theatre, learning to read movement, anticipate the decisive moment, and work within the rhythm of a performance. That instinct was tested and sharpened over more than 30 years as a photojournalist in some of the world's most demanding environments. It is that combination, performance intuition and field-hardened discipline, that I bring to a film set.
My film and television credits span productions for Netflix, Disney, Marvel, FX, Sony, Universal, and HBO. Recent work includes Alien Earth for FX, Ms Marvel for Marvel/Disney, and Reckoning for Netflix. Earlier credits include Nomads, produced by Ridley Scott. As Camera Operator, Field Producer, and Field Director on The Forever Prisoner (HBO), directed by Alex Gibney, I received an Emmy® Award. Since 2023 I have served as a judge for the Emmy® Awards in the cinematography and documentary categories.
What I bring to a set takes decades to develop: the ability to read a room, move without disrupting it, work calmly under sustained pressure, and capture moments that would otherwise be lost. That skillset was built not on film lots but in conflict zones, humanitarian crises, and remote field assignments, work I have carried out for UNICEF, UNHCR, Human Rights Watch, the World Bank, OXFAM, and the Red Cross. On a film set, those instincts translate directly.
My documentary work has been recognised with two World Press Photo Awards, including First Prize, General News Singles, for my coverage of the Rohingya crisis, three Prix Pictet Global Award nominations, and a FotoEvidence Book Award. Long-form projects Trading to Extinction and No Place On Earth have been exhibited at the International Centre of Photography in New York, the Metropolitan Museum of Photography in Tokyo, and Visa pour l'Image in France.
My commercial clients include Disney, Netflix, Sony, FX, Toyota, Hilton Hotels, and Johnnie Walker. My photography has appeared in Rolling Stone, The New Yorker, TIME, Newsweek, Vanity Fair, National Geographic, Der Spiegel, and the New York Times.
I have been a commissioned photographer for UNICEF since 2016, and have worked extensively for UNHCR, Human Rights Watch, the World Bank, OXFAM, Fortify Rights, and the Red Cross. I am represented by Panos Pictures, London, and I am based between Bangkok and Copenhagen.
Sun Thapphawut © Red Light Lab
Awards
2022 Emmy® Awards Camera Operator
2019 FotoEvidence Book Award with World Press Photo Award
2019 ASME-Ellie Awards 2019 Finalist Rolling Stone Magazine best feature story
2019 Prix Pictet Global Award nominated
2018 World Press Photo Award: First Prize, General News Singles
2018 World Press Photo, Picture of the Year nominee
2016 Prix Pictet Global Award nominated
2015 Prix Pictet Global Award nominated
2014 American Photo Best Documentary book of 2014
2009 New York Photographic Book Awards, USA
2008 NPPA’s Best Photojournalism Award, Multimedia. USA
2008 Picture of the Year International, Multimedia project (USA)
2005 Picture of the Year International (USA)
2005 3p Foundation Award (French)
2005 Days Japan Award: Jury Award (Japan)
2005 World Press Photo Award: Second Prize, Category “Nature”
Clients
Rolling Stone Magazine, The New Yorker, TIME, National Geographic, UNICEF, UNHCR, Human Rights Watch, World Bank, Netflix, Disney, FX, Hilton Hotels, Toyota World Rally Team, BHP, Telstra Australia, Thai Airways
For full CV, see expandable list
Contact
For commissions, print sales and all other enquiries please contact Patrick’s studio:
Editorially represented by
Panos Pictures
Michael Regnier
Archive Sales & Assignments
michael@panos.co.uk
skype: panospictures
Tel.: +44 (0)20 3322 8382