Below is a collection of my favourite photos of Myanmar (Burma) taken during 2 personal trips, looking for opportunities to capture photos for my 6 minute exposure project, capturing images for my photography print shop and exploring the country as a possible future destination for a photography workshop holiday.
During my time in Myanmar (Burma), I was completely blow away by the friendliness and generosity of the people. While the sites around the country varied, the warmness of the people was a constant everywhere.
Both trips started in Yangon; a chaotic and traffic-choked, yet engrossing and very photogenic city. While there, I shot a series of photos of a collective of potters, which were a finalist in Travel Photographer of the Year. In the South, pilgrims pray all night at Golden Rock and the stunning landscape, caves and temples around Hpa An are mesmerising at dawn. Kalaw, Inle and Hsipaw offered opportunities to meet and photograph the beautiful Palau Hill Tribe. When there is so much hype about a destination such as Bagan, it can sometimes be underwhelming, however this was the complete opposite. Hiring an electric moped to explore the temples at sunrise and sunset was a photography experience that is hard to beat. A last minute decision to take a 3 hour bus journey to Mrauk U threw up all manner of surprises including the Tattooed women of the Chin State and a festival for a deceased monks, where they fired rockets at his coffin! There were so many more destinations and experiences aside, but I will let the photos speak for themselves.
A curated selection of Myanmar prints are available in Matthew's photography print shop, but if you can't see the image you are after then just get in touch!
