Expected and unexpected

Also shot inside the Mahamuni Temple, a young Burmese lady walking past where I stood (while waiting for the moment to happen) and I quickly snap the portrait of her.

Often one may find very similar situation that while waiting for one subject to appear, an unexpected encountered, and sometimes not less than what you planed for.

More on shades of color

Here is another shot in the similar location of my last picture post, but this time I chose a lady who walked away from the camera, in a turquoise dress.  To balance the color on the image I use a very large portion on the left-hand-side of picture in bold gold and red so the turquoise dress – small but very powerful, will not confuse the final image.  It was a little lucky the lady has a red basket on top of head.

Shades of color

Although Buddhist temple can be very colorful, they are mostly in similar shades, rich shades. Shooting in temple, particular in Myanmar, often similar to shoot monochrome. 

For example this image, taken also inside the Mahamuni Temple, the monk, the hallway, the architecture of the temple are all in very similar color tone which makes this image work.  Certainly monk is not the only person inside the temple, often there are many people walking across, passing by.  I waited for almost 20 minutes to get a clear shot of the right movement, color and composition, and of course some luck. 

  

Silence

Inside the Mahamuni temple, although a temple, is not the place one will describe it quiet. There are lots of people come and go, spending little or a lot of time here, mostly asking. Pilgrims ask the Gods; poor ask for help, photographers ask his subject for picture to be taken… Only the kids, like this little boy in picture, has nothing to do being here, disassociate himself from the chaos, find himself silence in sleep.

The walk to the heart

Shot at Mahamuni temple, Mandalay, this is an elder lady who would be the most photographed subject of my entire Myanmar trip.  And it is from this old lady I learned the most lessons.

This picture was shot at the first moment I spotted her, someone told me she is 90 years old, and by the look of it, I would not disagree.  With a walking stick, she slowly inched toward the Buddha statue of Mahamuni, and I made this first shot of her.

Mahamuni temple

After spent some time in the small village in the morning, check in the beautiful Mandalay Bay Hotel and a short lunch, I came to Mahamuni temple (literal meaning: The Great Sage).  It is rather difficult to tell someone how to make photographs in a temple and in Mahamuni, it is even more difficult.

It is not very big albeit Mahamuni is one of the major pilgrimage sites in Mandalay yet to me it is a lot bigger.  Burmese temple is rather different from those in Thailand or elsewhere I have visited, people attached to the temple in a very different level, they seemed to live by it, although there are also many people simple just came and gone. During the hours I stayed in Mahamuni, and many more hours the next day, I feel people live there rather the visiting there.

There is a craft street between the main gate to the Buddha statue, a short but very interesting path that many of the images I took were happened here.

This one is from the small craft street inside Mahamuni, an old man working on his carving.

Bedroom

It is not always dangerous when you enter someone’s bedroom (condition: married woman), for example: this one. 

Burmese people are good hosts, they like to be taken pictures, like to invite you to their house, and even their bedroom.

The universal pose

I don’t know where it began, probably some time ago in Hollywood, perhaps long time ago, and then kids around the world started to pose like this, even in Myanmar.

I took the shot in a small village situated between the Mandalay airport and the city center, during an ordination ceremony, the young Burmese dressed well and I happened to be there to take this snapshot.

Country Road

Travel in Myanmar you will see lots of things, lots of things you no longer see elsewhere in the world.  Comparably low in material living standard but high one spiritual level, very basic infrastructure but generally satisfied citizens.  People in Myanmar do not live less happily than elsewhere.  It is like riding a bike on country road than driving a car on highway.  Shot in Mandalay.