It is an old candid shot taken back in 2009 June.  It is one of my favorite places in Yangon.  A pagoda atop a hill with the blossom garden around, a very peaceful environment comparatively not crowded like other temples and pagodas.  It is genuinely an ideal Buddha’s shade to do religious works and meditation.  Yes, it is THE MAHA WIZAYA PAGODA of Yangon.  Not always but seldom, I dropped by at this PAGODA on my way back from THE SHWEDAGON PAGODA.  These two pagodas are adjacent to each other, only a single road is separated in between.

It was 10th June 2009.  I wanted to capture THE SHWEDAGON PAGODA from THE MAHA WIZAYA PAGODA hill.  I decided to go there in noon time because generally that is not crowded time and less pilgrims so that I can choose any preferential spot on the pagoda as my shooting angle.  I arrived immediately at the main entrance i saw a middle agedtranquilly meditating alone.  At that time of the day, the sun was absolutely scorching and dire temperature.  But he seemed too peaceful and unruffled doing his religious works.  Our Lord Buddha gives him charm, his mind, his body and his soul. man

WORSHIPING & MEDITATION

When you travel to Pagoda, Monastery, Stupa, Temple or any kind of Buddhist religious place in Burma, it is very common to see people keeping meditation.  We, Buddhists, normally do these religious deeds to achieve Nirvāna.  The Buddha described Nirvāna as the perfect peace of the state of mind that is free from craving, anger and other afflicting states.  When one achieves the state of Nirvāna, there is no identity left, and no boundaries for the mind. The subject who is at peace with the world, has compassion for all and gives up obsessions and fixations. In Nirvāna the root causes of craving and aversion has been extinguished, so one day when fulfilled, that person is no longer subject to human suffering instead reflect peace in and out of mind all around.  And Nirvāna is the wishful destination of every Bhuddist…

MY THOUGHT

I do not know whether he is going to achieve the state of Nirvāna.  But for the moment during his meditation, he is in genuine peace, indisputable calmness and his soul is in tranquility.  People nowadays have diverse level of belief in their religions.  Some people do not believe in “FUTURE”, the time being after death.  Excluding those non-believers or whatsoever, do try to have peaceful mind yourself sometimes.  It’s is truly serene and peaceful.  On one fine day, clear your mind, close your eyes and try to see LORD BUDDHA.  You will see, sense and get blessing from him…

Have a nice weekend ahead, my friends…

In Myanmar (formerly known as Burma), it is very common to see people keeping meditation…

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This is an old shot I happened to capture on 30 June 2009.  It was a rainy day.  I went out to make a series of photos for my blog post, Cathedral of Holy Trinity.  I called up Wynn Thein and San Ba, my photographer friends who always join me in shooting, but they both were busy at their work.  So, I was alone walking with my camera on Bogyoke Aung Sann Road.

While I was shooting the cathedral, I felt like someone was standing behind me.  I turned my head, there I saw these street children.  I still remember that moment the elder guy asked some money from me.  I have been told that they have not eaten their lunch yet. I wasn’t sure whether he cheated me. I looked at my watch, it was 5:30 PM.  The younger one was crying.  I searched my camera bag and found some candies.  I gave them some candies and a 500-Kyat note.  All of a sudden, he kneed down on the platform and prayed for me.  I couldn’t fetch his prayer efficiently since he was too fast murmuring lots of phrases.  One thing I could understand is, “May you be richer and richer in this life, next life and next life.”  I felt really delighted that day.  Sometimes, we feel our lives are not fun.  If so, what about these kids on the streets?  For them, uncertainty is everything, hunger is their verb and depression is their food.  I just wonder how would their tomorrows be look like.

The Abandoned Child by Janie

I am scared, hungry, tired, but afraid to sleep
I feel the pain of my cold feet
I can see only darkness

No one comes to take care of me
Mom and dad leave me alone
No one even knows I am here
Is there even one who cares?

If I cry I will be punished, so the tears well up inside
If I can just endure until tomorrow, they will be home but, what then?
Is there no end to my pain? In this cold, empty house, that some would call a home
Maybe tomorrow someone will come to rescue me
Give me warm clothes, a warm bed, and someone to say I love you…

* * * * *

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“The mind has exactly the same power as the hands — not merely to grasp the world, but to merely survive”

HOPE, WHAT IS THAT???

Hope is such a marvelous thing. It bends, it twists, it sometimes hides, but rarely does it break. It sustains us when nothing else can. It gives us reason to continue and courage to move ahead, when we tell ourselves we’d rather give in.
Hope puts a smile on our face when the heart cannot manage.
Hope puts our feet on the path when our eyes cannot see it.
Hope moves us to act when our souls are confused of the direction.
Hope is a wonderful thing, something to be cherished and nurtured, and something that will refresh us in return. And it can be found in each of us, and it can bring light into the darkest of places.
Never lose Hope.

SHOOTING

It was a CANDID shot I made near U Pein Bridge of Mandalay Division, Central Burma.  Yes, I went Mandalay with some businesses.  And I have got a chance to visit U Pein with a group of staffs from my company.  We had walked on the bridge for a while.  The burning heat of A NYAR (Central Burma) made us all worn out so quickly.  So we decided to enjoy some local sugar cane juice at a nearby shop.

It was May 13th 2009, the hottest juncture of Burmese summer.  All of a sudden, I saw this woman in my view finder.  Of course, she can’t walk.  She was dragging herself on the ground.  There’s no one helping her.  The sun was scorching, and she looks so frail.  She does not surrender, she does not give up.  Her face unveils bravery.  Yes, bravery to survive on a hope.  The hope that she would never lose…

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Photo Information
Camera – Nikon D40
Exposure Time – 1/2s
ISO Speed – 400
Focal Length – 42mm

It was 17 Feb 2009 (Tuesday).  I was requested to be the photographer of our office manager’s engagement. When it comes to portrait shots, I always perceive myself as the one who possesses a pair of dull hands. I am always bouncy to say a clear “NO” to my friends who ask me to be the photographer of their weddings.  Why??  Well, I am not a professional photographer. Plus I have never learnt the modus operandi and the norms of wedding photography.  But this time, I was in a deadlock where I could not say “NO”. I did, more than a dozen times, begged him to hire a professional photographer where I would be giving some snapshots as supplementary cameraman throughout the ceremony. He wholeheartedly declined my offer.  Finally, I listened to him. I decided to give a “go” for him. Luckily, the engagement was just a small party with the audience of some close friends and peers.

It’s just my snapshot of a water glass captured before the engagement ceremony started. Yes, I have a habit of shooting table settings, floral decorations and lighting of every single ceremony I attend.

Dedication: Ko Han Tha & Ma Zar Zar Yamin. May you have tons of lovely moments ahead…

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Photo Information
Camera – Nikon D90
Lens – Nikkor 18-200mm VR
Exposure Time – 1/320s
ISO Speed – 250
Focal Length – 105mm

ABOUT THE PHOTO

Occasionally in life, people come to think their lives are sucks and unfair.  So, this is a picture for these people.   This is a typical painter who challenges his life in this risky situation.  No safety winged used, no insurance, no nothing…  Moreover, he stepped his foot on the electric wire.  Sigh…  I really wonder whether he knows that he could be reached next life within seconds.  Sometimes in our lives, we face lots of situation where we are blessed with NO WAY OUT.  No other choice but to do it.  Sometimes, I even refer these situations as DEAD LOCK.  There ain’t no one who aimed to become such grassroots worker.  He works like this because it’s happened.  A situation that he might want to blame on LUCK.

Lots of renown philosophers stated that LIFE = RISK.  Yes, it’s true for me and also for heaps of people, I bet.  While writing this narration, I remember the quote I used to read when I was in university.  “Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.” Helen Keller.

A snapshot captured near my home.  2009 APRIL © YE LWIN OO…

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I focused on the man and made the pagoda off-focus. The result was wonderful.

Photo Information
Camera – CANON REBEL XSi
Exposure Time – 1/15s
ISO Speed – 800
Focal Length –20mm

SHOOTING

This is a very first shot created with CANON SLR in my life. It’s not mine, of course. That’s my friend’s camera. My high school friend, Wai Yan Chit Maung. He came back here for his vacation. Yes, I was surprised seeing him holding a CANON SLR (CANON EOS REBEL XSi) with a giant zoom lens. He never shared with me that he too is a photography hobbiest. We went along Yangon River to have some seagull shots. And this is again on SHWEDAGON pagoda. I saw this man on meditation. The way he set aside his slippers and the umbrella is a very character of Burmese. See his slippers underneath his butt? Yes we used to sit like this when we were young. You know why? Because we were afraid that our slippers will be stolen. We went traditional operas where there was no seat, so we need to settle on the plain ground and yes we utilized our slippers as floor map.

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Photo Information
Camera – Nikon D40
Exposure Time – 1/200s
ISO Speed – 400
Focal Length – 145mm

Photo Information
Camera – Nikon D40
Exposure Time – 1/200s
ISO Speed – 400
Focal Length – 125mm

SHOOTING

2008 December 8th, I had one submission here called LITTLE NUN. This time is different spot, my favorite shooting place called SHWEDAGON pagoda. Yes, I found couples of dozens of nuns saying prayers on SHWEDAGON pagoda. I saw this particular nun who was having running nose and found so alluring. I had a swift on my lens and mounted my tele-zoom to capture this shot. More than often in photography, we need to use zoom lens to reach remote objects / subjects. Some people argue that we can move our standing point and go closer to our focused objects / subjects. Well, if it’s a budding flower, it is TRUE. If it’s a HUMAN, it’s not accurate. Why? Let’s say I am shooting this little nun. It’s snapshot / surprise shot sentiment that I wanted to own. If I go closer to her, she will definitely notice that I am taking her photo. Yea? In this case, do you think the emotion of the final output (photo) will be this fascinating? Nope. Believe me!! I have tried many times.

ETHICS

I have read some of the photography books and articles. An article about Ethics is what I have come across with. In SNAPSHOT magazine, an author stated, “When we are taking photos, it is courteous and professional to ask the permission of the person we are shooting. And we must avoid using anyone’s photo for commercial purpose without consent / approval of the person appeared in the photo.” Friends, I am a mere amateur. I neither use my photos for any commercial purpose nor abuse the photos I have earned on my memory cards. Plainly, I am not the one who is going to create those twisted pornography artworks on Photoshop. I am here just to share the NATURE and LIVES we are seeing everyday. More importantly, I am not a portrait photographer. Don’t ask me whether I have BURMESE MODELS’ photos. The answer is apparently NO.

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This is from my recent CHAUNG THA trip in Dec 2008. You won’t believe me. I was sick on the beach. Yes, that’s YE LWIN OO. I got way too exhausted taking photos to a dozen plus people at different locations, i.e, on shore, around bungalows, Pho Kalar Island, Kyauk Maung Hna Ma and the likes. From freezing sunrise point until breezy sunset, I didn’t even have a luxurious coffee break. Lolz. Besides, December sun has no mercy. It was fully burning out in the afternoon. Fluctuating temperature differences along the day had inserted slight fever into me. Sigh… It wasn’t fun at all.

SHOOTING

It was my second day on CHAUNG THA beach. Everyone went swimming but me, being the guard of all rooms. I was sitting on the balcony of my bungalow with a cup of coffee and, of course, my camera in my hand. I saw the kid amusing herself with sand. All of a sudden, I recalled my ebullient childhood days at Maung Ma Gan beach, Tavoy. I too played similarly with sand when I was young. I tallied those years in my mind, and it was a WOW…  It’s been some 20 years. Oh My God!! Those were the days; I amused myself with no worries, no stress, and no boundaries. I murmured myself, “Childhood days are the greatest period of every human…”

Photo Information
Camera – Nikon D40
Exposure Time – 1/500s
ISO Speed – 500
Focal Length – 165mm

Photo Information
Camera – Nikon D40
Exposure Time – 1/500s
ISO Speed – 400
Focal Length – 168mm

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Photo Information
Camera – Nikon D40
Exposure Time – 1/60s
ISO Speed – 400
Focal Length – 52mm

It was on SHWEDAGON pagoda, 11.11.2008 around mid night.  I was there to create shots for Robe Weaving Contest documentary. I saw these two little girls playing around. Their father was asking them to dance and they did. For sure I had my camera clicked. Apparently, they are so adorable in my eyes. I did use some glow effects to make their complexion more divine. Enjoy their cheerful & religious smiles…

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Photo Information
Camera – Nikon D40
Exposure Time – 1/250s
ISO Speed – 200
Focal Length – 200mm

SHOOTING

Once again, this is a beach shot. I had crafted this shot back in 2008 April on the bank of MAUNG MA GAN beach. I was walking on the shore with my aunt. Saw this girl crying on the beach. She seems being hurt by someone. Was crying helplessly and murmuring out the phrase “I hate you, I hate you so much”. She is, of course, a victim of LOVE.

TITLING

Well, this shot is not to unveil the beauty of the beach. But it’s all about sentiment of LONELINESS. I was brainstorming to title this shot. Should I name it EMPTINESS? No… Then what about LONELINESS? Yes, sounds more effectual. But I still wanted to tweak a bit more. So, I recalled the memories of my high school days. There used to be one of my favorite songs by WESTLIFE. “LONELINESS KNOWS ME BY NAME”… Yes, this is nice. It suits my shot…

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