Winning Smile (What’s That Sound?)
Nyaung Shwe, Shan State, Myanmar. October 2016
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This is one of my first travel photos and one of my favourites. It embodies why I as a legally blind person take photographs.
My brother and I were sitting in a wooden boat in a canal in a village named Nyaung Shwe, ready to explore nearby Inle Lake. The early morning scene was noisy with activity. Over the din came a loud, sharp, shrill sound. An excited and unstoppable “Hello!!!” A magnificent “Mingalabar!!!”
I involuntarily turned towards the shout and as I did I clicked the camera. There was no time to focus or frame.
Our boat trip out onto Inle Lake continued for most of the day. I saw and snapped, mainly snapped, various temples, villages and gardens all perched on stilts as if floating in the middle of the lake. I tried my best to photograph the iconic fishermen of the lake with their unique type of nets and even more unique style of leg rowing.
When it came time to look at the pictures I had taken there was one thing I wanted to check. Who yelled that early morning welcome and had I even managed to capture them? As I scrolled through the images I found a near perfect frozen frame. Maybe not perfect as far as technical photography skills go but perfect for me.
There standing out even louder and bolder than her voice was the beaming face of a local girl. The raised, open palm is welcoming and inviting. The thanaka on her cheeks signifies the location and the bored faces of her travelling companions show this is just one of many boat trips for them. Still, she is happy and we are welcomed.
