Life on the Irrawaddy
Burma 2011
This photo makes me think of Joseph Conrad’s novel, “Heart of Darkness”. I like the way the man stares impassively. Who knows what he is thinking?
I cropped the photo to a square format to place the man in the foreground on the 1/3 line. It worked out well because there is a nice, imaginary diagonal from his head to the boatman relaxing on his boat. The square format has been popular recently. It used to tell viewers that you had used a medium format camera which, in the days of film, had much more panache than the common old 35mm.
Burmese Pith Helmet
The British colonized Burma for more than 100 years. This hat is a copy of the pith helmet that British soldiers wore. I bought one to cover my head when we were plying the waters of Inle Lake. It cost a dollar.