The three photos at the end of the previous blog came from a trip to Myanmar in December of 2011.  It's hard to believe that five years have passed since then. That trip was an important event for my photography.  As I said in the Introduction to the book: 

"While in Myanmar, I dimly recognized that I was changing as a photographer. But it was only when I got home and began sorting through the gigabytes of images that I fully realized that it was the people more than the places had that had truly entranced me."

I had gone back to that "shoe box" looking for some specific images for a project. And, while rummaging around, I came across some of my favorite people shots and thought it might be interesting to re-post them ... particularly for those readers who were not around at that time.

What follows are 6 images of females from Myanmar that I particularly like.  I hope you do too.

The Basket Lady:

This image was chosen for the cover shot of the book. Why carry an empty basket when you can wear it and keep your hands free? It was obviously a technique she had learned long before this shot was taken. Sights like this are one of the reasons that foreign travel is so visually interesting! Myanmar was chock full of them.

The Infectious Smile:

I can't help but smile when I see this next image. This lady's great smile is infectious.  There is a warmth and openness to it. She was seemingly unaffected by the stains on her teeth caused by chewing betel leaves.  And she was aware and open to the fact that I, a complete stranger, was taking her photograph.  And, wouldn't it be great if we all reacted that way? 

The Questioning Girl:

"Who are these strangers with pale white skins?"  This young girl was looking at us from the entrance to  the "courtyard" of her home as we walked down the "street" of a small village.  Clearly she was puzzled by our little group. I love the questioning look on her face, the dappled light, and the color of the background. 

Somewhere Else:

What was she thinking about? She seemed to be somewhere else... far, far away in another galaxy?

Intensity:

This older woman was sitting on a bench at a railroad station in a small hill-country village. I'm not sure I've ever been under such a visual open scrutiny. Do you think she was angry or just curious?  Contrast her look with that of the smiling lady.  

Sadness:

I captured this next image of woman in a rail car waiting for the train to leave. There's a haunting look on this woman's face. Is it sadness? Is she weary and tired? Has life been difficult? Is it a look of resignation? All of these questions and maybe a dozen more come to mind when looking at the image. I am moved by her gaze and want to know more. 

Notes:

*  Most women in Myanmar use a yellolwish-white paste made from ground bark of a tree.  According to Wikipedia, the creamy paste is applied to the face in attractive designs with the fingers.  It has a smell like sandlewood and it's said to provide protection from the sun,  help remove acne and promote smooth skin. 

*  It is that time of year when the wildlife are in transit between their spring/summer locations to their fall/winter hangouts. Shooting has been almost non-existent.

* I've been looking at the original images from the Myanmar trip have come across quite of few that I passed by on my initial post-processing passes. It looks like I will follow up with blogs featuring images that have not previously seen the light of day. 

*  If interested, the book "Portraits from Myanmar" can be purchased by logging into Amazon.com and searching for the title of the book.  It is also possible to read it online by going here: http://www.blurb.com/b/5481828-portraits-from-myanmar and clicking on the Preview button.

As  always, thanks for taking the time to look and  comment.

Adam