Today we photographed one of my favorite small, local markets. This particular market is one of my “secret” spots where no other tourists visit. The Burmese all get a kick out of seeing camera-toting foreigners getting all excited about such “normal” things as tea shops, colorfully displayed fruits and vegetables, fish paste and local woman carrying baskets on their heads.
After our early morning market shoot we boarded our private boat for a 1 and ½ hour trip on the Irrawaddy river, to Mingun village. Mingun is home to the world’s largest ringing bell, weighing in at 87 tons. Mingun is also home to a white-washed pagoda which is the perfect backdrop for photographing saffran-robed monks. Late in the afternoon, we made another stop at U Bein Bridge, the world’s longest teak bridge, to photograph the monks in silhouetted against the orange sky as the crossed the span, heading back to their monasteries. Another amazing day in Myanmar!
Karl – these are beautiful. When you’re capturing an environmental portrait like the first image, what focal length are you shooting at? I see you doing some great work with your wide, but have wondered how you keep from distorting facial features when shooting close.
Hi Theodore,
No secret here…what you see in the viewfinder is what you get…I just try to keep things as distortion free as possible by paying attention not to put subjects too close to the edges and to keep the front element of my lens parallel to the subject’s face. Thanks for your comment. Cheers, Karl