Without an H

This is my first post in quite a while. I’ve been neglecting all aspects of photography for some time now. The truth is I’ve become a little disillusioned with the whole process – not just taking pictures, but sorting, processing and sharing them as well. I can’t quite explain why this is. I live in Yangon, a city which is, by any standards, a fantastic place for photography. I should be out taking pictures every spare moment I get, as I was for the first few months that I lived here. But somehow that spark has gone. Recently, on the few occasions I’ve been out with my camera, I’ll see a potential photograph, but something stops me from taking it. I’ll think to myself that I’ve taken that picture before (as I probably have) or I’ll start second-guessing a potential portrait subject, expecting them to refuse, so I don’t even bother approaching them. It’s all negative and defeatist, and I know it is as I’m doing it, but that doesn’t stop me from doing it.

But I miss it. Photography is the only thing I’ve ever really been any good at, and it’s been a big part of my life for the ten years or so that I’ve been living in south-east Asia; so when I find myself so lacking in inspiration, it feels like there’s something missing. Although there are times when I feel like selling my camera and lenses and giving up altogether, there are others when I don’t want to give up so easily.

So in an effort to give myself a much needed kick up the arse, I’ve been looking through the backlog of pictures I built up in the early part of last year. I’ve been pleased to find that they’re not all completely terrible, so I’m going to start publishing some here, and try to get this blog moving again. Maybe that, in turn, will get me out and about shooting again.

This is all getting a bit introspective and self-absorbed (but you should have seen my first draft). Anyway, here are some pictures. They’re all about a year old, and were taken on the streets of downtown Yangon.