U.S. Senate

“Someone has said the best nursing home is the U.S. Senate.”  ~ Ernest F. Hollings

Nursing home in Mingun, Myanmar

Every goodbye makes the next hello closer……

And finally, it is our last day at Mandalay in this trip so by a recently established tradition, we photographed and followed the old lady back to her home, and made a proper goodbye. And by some Burmese tradition, offer a little donation. 

Shine, directly in front of the camera with a backpack is our guide, and one of the finest Burmese I know, was representing the group, and saying prayer for the aged woman.

Every goodbye makes the next hello closer………

Mandalay, Myanmar

Finest Journey

“The best, the most exquisite automobile is a walking stick; and one of the finest things in life is going on a journey with it.”  ~ Robert Coates Holliday

Mandalay, Myanmar

Young and Aged

The difference is, when one is young he moves fast but arrived home late; when became aged, he moved slow but arrive home early.

Mandalay, Myanmar

The Road to Mandalay

Irrawaddy River also known as Ayeyarwady River – transliterated by the current government of Myanmar, and thanks to Rudyard Kipling’s poem, it sometimes referred to as “The Road to Mandalay.”

The largest and longest waterway of the country, 2,170km long, originated from the Himalayan glaciers, also regarded as Myanmar’s River of Spirits!

“Asia is not going to be civilized after the methods of the west. There is too much Asia and she is too old.” ~ Rudyard Kipling

Mingun, Sagaing Region, Myanmar

Mingun Bell

Steve McCurry was making a 360-degree VR image with his Hasselblad H4D – yes, Steve McCurry does shoot medium format digital.  His LV campaign in India was shot with H4D60. 

The shot was made inside the famous Mingun Bell – 6.31m high from the rim to the top, 4.95m outer diameter and the cast bronze bell is between 15-30cm thick around.


Part of graffiti on the inside of Mingun Bell - shot with Canon 5DII + EF 24-105/4L IS

Mingun, Sagaing Region, Myanmar

Mingun Pagoda

One of the largest challenges in photography is not to make a good image, everyone can eventually take a good image, some time great ones, and some do it more often than others.  The challenge is to make one that is memorable, through time.

Steve McCurry has his majestic image made on the Mingun Pagoda during a raining time is without double one of the very best took on the Mingun which also set a benchmark for other image to be judged from.

I only have a minute to shoot because I was working with Steve in Mingun to photograph the Mingun bell, so I quickly fired away a few shots after came up from the ferry! To try to do something different is easy, different but equally good is not, but at least I tried.

Mingun, Sagaing, Myanmar

Mingun

A stupa started 1,790 by King Bodawpaya in Mungun, central Myanmar, with ambition to be as tall as 150 meters if completed only it was not, due to a prophecy from an astrologer during the king’s time which suggests his death upon the completion of the stupa.  

Today, the visitor’s stand in front of the structure can still fell its grandness, although a strong quake on March 23, 1839 left a huge crack, which adds certain appeal to it.

This image is a street merchant girl who is selling souvenir at Mungun.

Mingun, Sagaing Region, Myanmar

Color photography

I remembered I have interviewed Steve McCurry once in the beautiful Mandarin Oriental Dhara Dhevi when I was there holiday with Steve and heard international news traced him around for his historical last roll of Kodachrome – the interview was made for a prestigious Chinese photography magazine, Chinese Photography.

The legendary Kodachrome, which I have shot quite a few in those days I still use film, but for Steve McCurry, and his large stock of images made on the legendary film, one cannot relate to Kodachrome without mentioning Steve McCurry.

During the interview, I asked Steve his take on the black and white photography, which Steve certainly capable of but not well known for, and he quoted that “….. our world is colorful…” and it is – photography as an art does not made base on certain media and certainly not depend on whether it is color or not.

With Steve, or for the master like my mentor and teacher Kosichi, one eventually would learn that in fact photography is quite easy, much easier than one would think.  But a great image is not on the moment of the photography along, it is how one see the world, what he do when not taking picture, than just pressing the shutter!

Mandalay, Myanmar

Walking home

Einstein once said the expert is not more than a well-trained dog may be a little exaggerate, but practices do lead to better result, and the same for photography. 

We have followed the old ladies we found the Mahamuni and followed them home the 3^rd straight day that I can started to picture ahead of time…..not quite, but almost.

Then I realize, a seemingly lucky shot may be indeed lucky for the one who took it; but perhaps everyone has same share of luck but not everyone come back with a great image, I think the difference is not the luck itself, the difference is the practice, work and persistence before the luck that made the difference.

However, it is also true in life, there are real genius!  I am certainly not one, but I have the luck to meet a few of them, and that is my best luck.

Mandalay, Myanmar

Mahamuni

We are about to wrap up the shoot in Mandalay and head to Inle Lake tomorrow.  And again, the group found themselves around Mahamuni, not because it is the only place to photograph in Mandalay, but more for the richness of itself presented the opportunities too pity not to come again.

Steve McCurry’s workshop is not a typical tour organization so some may missed their count of the number of tourist spots vested during the trip, however, it gives the perspective of building such intensity that one goes back to exact same spot to correct what was missed and to perfect what have been done.

And here we are!

This image of the old ladies were the two we met 2 days earlier, and continue to photograph them from the sides, from behind, from higher and from lower.

Mahamuni, Mandalay, Myanmar

Prayer

“Prayer is when you talk to God; meditation is when you listen to God.”  ~ Diana Robinson

Manhamuni, Mandalay, Myanmar

Careful eye

A mother’s arms are made of tenderness and children sleep soundly in them.  ~ Victor Hugo

And with eyes not to miss anything.

Mahamuni, Mandalay, Myanmar

Politics and Sports

Proof of monk is still like man, likes politics and sports.

Mandalay, Myanmar

Stone-carving yard

Traveling in Myanmar for a photographer is a trip to treasure island, there are endless photographic opportunities as long as one keeps his camera at side.

This one shot with Canon 1Ds III mounted with EF 24-105/4L IS in Mandalay, Myanmar is a good example; it is just a stone-carving yard with deliveries to be made, just one of millions photo opportunities in Myanmar.

Afternoon

Does monk has his 9-5 schedule or does he need it at all?

Mandalay, Myanmar

Sketches on the mirror

Mandalay, Myanmar

Boatman

All rivers, even the most dazzling, those that catch the sun in their course, all rivers go down to the ocean and drown.  And life awaits man as the sea awaits the river.    ~ Simone Schwarz-Bart

Mandalay, Myanmar

Mmmmmm…

Shot in a bronze foundry in Mandalay, Myanmar

Meditation

“Meditation brings wisdom; lack of meditation leaves ignorance. Know well what leads you forward and what hold you back, and choose the path that leads to wisdom.”  ~ Buddha

At a bronze foundry, Mandalay, Myanmar

Master and the students

Steve McCurry is referencing the image with his workshop participants, the lovely French lawyer Mounira Ben and the video specialist Steve Taylor from Canada.

Mandalay, Myanmar

Distant monastery

Mandalay, Myanmar

The altar

Only within burns the fire I kindle.

My heart the altar.

My heart the altar.

~ Poem of a Buddhist nun

Mandalay, Myanmar

Telephone

Nuns’ cueing up at a private phone station waiting for their own term of telephone time.

It’s Mandalay, Myanmar, they are nuns, and it is not hard to imagine whom they called to.