Bagan: Landscape of 2000 Pagodas

Bagan is the ONE area in Burma which is on the wish list of just about every landscape photographer who has ever seen a picture of this most amazing landscape which is dotted with thousands of Buddhist shrines. Bagan is probably the most recognizable location in all of Myanmar. Once a UNESCO world heritage site, it never ceases to amaze the visitor. We spent three days in Bagan giving each photographer ample of time to photograph both at sunrise and sunset and from various pagodas. We also took a day trip from Bagan to Mount Popa, where a mountain top Buddhist temple complex towers above the valley below. This part of the trip is always a favorite of landscape photographers like George, Lee,  Sequoia and  Steve (seen below).

The images below were taken over the course of a few days. You’ll notice that we had overcast conditions most of the time, which gave the Pagoda dotted landscape photographs, a subtle, moody atmosphere.

In addition to landscape photos, the interiors of the temples and pagodas provide wonderful photo opportunities. Many of the structures have interior stairways and chambers that contain Buddha statues. While the mid-day light outside is harsh and contrasty, the interior chambers are the perfect place for making some nice shots. Directional light, streaming in from open areas illuminate the Buddha statues dramatically. Using a high ISO, one can make nice hand held photos in these, seeming dark areas, while those with tripods have more options in terms of ISO selection. In the second shot below, (hand held), the face of the Buddha is being illuminated by two flashlights. On the evening of our last night in Bagan, we visited a temple after closing time to photograph a novice monks with candles and a large reclining Buddha. *All of these images, including those shot in candle light, were made without using a tripod. I’m very impressed with the Nikon D3s’s high ISO capabilities including the “grainy” black and white shot of the two monks, which was shot at 32,000 ISO.

The ancient city of Bagan also offers us the option to photograph a lacquer-ware making factory which is an ideal place to make photographs of the craftsmen and women. The lack of electricity means that those who are doing intricate carving need do sit in areas that are well lit, this of course makes it easy to get some great photos!