Leica All Day
Veteran
Here are some recent photos of "working photgraphers".....these Burmese photographers work at the most sacred site in their country (Shwedagon Pagoda).......I visited the Pagoda a couple of times in the span of 5 days, so they got used to seeing me around....I forget what day it was, but one of the guys loved Leica cameras and has only seen them on the internet or in the hands of a few tourists.
well, to make a long story short, I let him use one of my cameras for a little bit.....he was very happy....he loved the 15mm vc lens because of how wide it is....whenever these guys take photos of Burmese tourists, they have to basically lay flat down (or crouch really low to the ground) and shoot at a very strange angle to get their subject (customer) and the pagoda framed properly.
I asked them if they ever get western tourists, they laughed and said "no, westerners bring their own cameras"....anyways, it was always pleasant for me to see them and talk to them when I would visit the pagoda......I have a lot of respect for them....they love photography and are interested in camera gear.....but, due to their circumstances it is next to impossible for them to afford the gear that they want or even locate the gear in their country.....
anyways, here are a couple of photos
cheers, michael
well, to make a long story short, I let him use one of my cameras for a little bit.....he was very happy....he loved the 15mm vc lens because of how wide it is....whenever these guys take photos of Burmese tourists, they have to basically lay flat down (or crouch really low to the ground) and shoot at a very strange angle to get their subject (customer) and the pagoda framed properly.
I asked them if they ever get western tourists, they laughed and said "no, westerners bring their own cameras"....anyways, it was always pleasant for me to see them and talk to them when I would visit the pagoda......I have a lot of respect for them....they love photography and are interested in camera gear.....but, due to their circumstances it is next to impossible for them to afford the gear that they want or even locate the gear in their country.....
anyways, here are a couple of photos
cheers, michael
Leica All Day
Veteran
a couple of more
looking back now, I should of paid them to take a photo of me with one of their cameras....oh, well...next time
cheers, michael
looking back now, I should of paid them to take a photo of me with one of their cameras....oh, well...next time
cheers, michael
ethics_gradient
Well-known
Those actually look like surprisingly modern cameras compared to what I saw in Vientiane (Laos, for those of you not familiar with the region). They were using AE-1's and other older manual focus bodies.