Myanmar Faces

Whilst touring around Burma on a trip from Rangoon to Yangon following the Irrawaddy River for over 400 miles downstream, I had the opportunity to photograph the Myanmar people. These lovely people are untainted by modern society and Myanmar is one of the few places which is relatively unchanged over the last few centuries. I visited many villages, temples and stupas where I was trying to capture the spirit of the country through the different facial expressions of the locals. They wear a white-yellow cosmetic paste known as Thanaka on their faces. This is made from tree bark and is worn from the early age of 6 months. Thanaka gives the Myanmar people a distinctive unique appearance.