A village scene with local people walking on a road in Bagan, Myanmar (Burma)

Photographing People, Part 1

I recently was invited by one of my clients for lunch.  They signed up for my Mongolia trip in September 2017 because they were impressed with my photos of the Golden Eagle Festival in Western Mongolia.  They really want to photograph interesting faces and cultures.  Of course Mongolia is a great destination to do this (search my blog posts for the Mongolia postings).  After the lunch I have been thinking about which other countries I go to are great for people photography and culture and Myanmar (Burma) and Laos came to my mind.  I will be leading a tour to these Southeast Asian countries in January and I am looking forward seeing Burma again after the positive political changes.  Both countries not only offer fantastic people photography, but also interesting landscapes and amazing temples.  I will be teaching on how to capture the people, temples, villages and landscapes.

People bringing offerings at the Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon, Myanmar (Burma)

When photographing people, I have two approaches: candid and portrait.  Often a candid photo of a person turns out more natural.  If a person you are photographing is working or talking to someone they are usually distracted and don’t pay attention to the photographer.  Many times I look for a good location and stay at a spot where I don’t draw much attention, keep watching people passing by.  If I see someone interesting, I slowly raise my camera and take photos.  If the person(s) see me, I give them a nice smile and walk over to them, showing the photos I took.  Usually they like what I am doing and I start taking more photos, mostly close-ups.

A monk at the Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon, Myanmar (Burma)

A family is celebrating their children entering monkshood at the Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon, Myanmar (Burma)

Celebrations and festivals are always good photo opportunity.  At the Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon, Myanmar, the photographer can watch the initiation ceremony of the young children entering the monkshood.  The families are dressed in their traditional dresses and are walking around the central stupa.  What a photo opportunity.  The people are proud and happy to have their photos taken.  That is one thing I found wherever I travel in the world: if you can make people feel proud of themselves, they love being photographed.

My friend Rodney is showing a photo to a novice in Laos.

A traditional baci ceremony in the garden of the La Residence Phou Vao Hotel in Luang Prabang, central Laos.

For more photos and information about my upcoming trip to Burma and Laos please visit: https://phototours.us