Laundry yard

Behind every working woman is an enormous pile of unwashed laundry.    ~ Barbara Dale

Mandalay, Myanmar

Sawmill worker

Sawmill worker, Mandalay, Myanmar

Usual and unusual

Is it true that one is easier to get unusual picture from usual location than usual picture from unusual location? A paradox.

Laundry yard, Mandalay, Myanmar

Coffee break

On the small streets of Mandalay you won’t find Starbucks but still you can find small coffee shops serving from Ovaltine, instant coffee to brewed coffee.  I found this worker have his coffee break in this little shop, while I order mine.

Mandalay, Myanmar

Color and texture of Mandalay

A picture like this would be a lot less if it were without such texture and color of Mandalay, Myanmar.

I wondered, what do we miss in our world?

Bamboo sheet

On the street of Mandalay, Myanmar. 2 workers headed the bamboo sheet on the street.  On the 2^nd thought, there is really no better way to move the sheet other than what these two are doing.  

Wood worker

Worker in a wood processing factory, Mandalay, Myanmar

Is it just paper?

Brewster Kahle recently made himself a topic of being the pioneer of digitizing written information but wants to save a hard copy of every book.  See SA article. 

True, the rise of iPad has probably often makes me wonder how long would the book as we know it to disappear? I am not optimistic.

Book has an important role in the span of human written history.  From the stone, oracle, leather, bamboo, silk, rice paper, book has gone through many changes to reach its critical mass, and also to be cost effective.

One might argue that a single iPad, although itself requires energy and resources to create and to run; its powerful performance indeed reduces the needs of tremendous amount of other resources for printing, bundling, transportation, sales….. not just books. And I agree.

I love books, and I love the e-books on my iPad too.  Will I see the end of conventional printed book? I might.

Image taken at Mandalay, Myanmar

So close, so far

 “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.”   ~ Mark Twain

I could not agree more.  This image as an example, just a bus driver, and I put him in front of my camera to try to make him into an artwork.  Would I do that in Bangkok, or Taipei, or Shanghai?  At least I have not tried yet.  Sometimes it is too far because it is too close.

Mandalay, Myanmar

More in the cookie factory

Girl worker in the cookie factory, a smiling, typical Burmese.  Mandalay, Myanmar.

The cookie factory

Workers in a cookie factory, Mandalay, Myanmar.

Shot with Canon 1Ds III with EF 24-105/4L IS, ISO 640, f/4, 1/32s.  Modern digital camera made possible shots like this, the raw capture registered wide range of data both in the dark and highlight area and allow a capable raw developer to deliver a nice, balanced image that remains reasonable clean even at ISO 640.

Mandalay morning

February 19, the 4^th day of the trip, the 2^nd day in Mandalay, we have a fresh start.  Shortly after breakfast, we were already on the street to photograph the morning activities on a small street.  Of particular Steve McCurry fashion, the best portrait opportunity is usually when people are doing what they usually do, the photographer’s job is to define a moment that can define such a person.  The interpretation of each image will be and should be different among the photographers. And everyone is out to find his or her own definition.  

I went into a small court yard of a private house, met this gentleman who find his own comfort on the bed, have a quick visual exchange with him knowing that he would not mind me taking this image, and snap away this image. 

Rest

It is already early evening; I was at this bus terminal of the vintage Chevrolet bus with Steve McCurry, and our guide, for pictures of the last nature light of the day.  The old Chevrolet would be collectibles in many countries but still in active service, with wood benches, and an interior that only seen in movies these days.

The tricycle is also at rest, with the owner rest himself for a short nap after a day’s work.

Mandalay, Myanmar.

Village kids

Village kids, Mandalay, Myanmar

Hand in hand

Historical study tells lots of things.  The fossil evidence found in 1978 by Mary Leakey and Paul Abell at Laetoli Footprint Trails, Tanzania can be dated back to about 3.6 million years ago. Human evolved to bipedal free the hand to work on other things marked the accelerated evolution since. 

While the new freed hands can do much in hunting and crafts, the most significance is allow human to use hand to touch other hand – the beginning of love.

The fossil evidence on the Laetoli footprint trails, for the first time, showing a pair of larger and a pair of smaller footprints walking together at close, consistent distance is the first indirect proof of early family walked hand in hand, just like the one in this image, some 3.6 million later in Mandalay, Myanmar.

Follow where the picture leads you

Walking home is a rather different journey for many.  This well aged lady, 90-years old, spends one hour that most people would do in less than 10 minutes; it is a journey with so many stops for catching breath, it is just a journey between the pagoda and her home she took for the better part of her life.

Every passing second is a fraction of a story worth documenting.

Canon 5DII with EF 24-105/4L IS setting at 47mm.

Into light and shadow

It is only the 3^rd day in Myanmar traveling with Steve McCurry, in Mandalay, each one of the travelers already accumulated large amount of captures, and would add a lot more going forward.  I spent most of the time with Steve McCurry, also to assist him, and have the opportunity to observe the master while the master observe his subject.

The biggest lesson I learned from Steve McCurry is the persistency and the level of enthusiasm he put into each image, not just each image, but EACH CAPTURE!

For example, we spotted this old lady at the temple, rather than fire away some snapshots, we slowly observing her, study her and follow her, and follow her home, all but just want to capture an image that is her.  This one is among the many hundreds I made on her, position myself and waited her to walk into the light.

Canon 5DII with EF 24-105/4L IS setting at 70mm.

Making Buddha

A wood craftsman working on Buddha statue on street side, Mandalay, Myanmar.

Mother and daughter

“Mother is the name for God in the lips and hearts of little children.” …… William Makepeace Thackeray

Mahamuni Pagoda, Mandalay, Myanmar

The final touch

Shot in a carving shop, Mandalay.  A girl is touching up and finishing the last process of a Buddha statue.

Cinderella’s shoes

Myanmar is a fascinating nation, rich culture, kind people and untamed nature but traveling in Myanmar one would normally have mixed emotions. Nothing about the culture, people and nature but how could such a country is in a state today?

Perhaps too many things gone wrong that even a seasoned politician can’t fully explain, but as a traveler I could not help when I saw this little girl in Mahamuni, Mandalay, well mannered, nice and quiet, what could have happened if she is living in a different world?

 “The perfect shoes can change your life.” - Cinderella