Why to photograph in Yangon ?
Photographing Yangon street life will really capture your imagination . There are so many incredible places and corners in Yangon to capture, the inspiration will be endless. There are lots of different types of street photography in Yangon as a busy capital city including street markets, Yangon train station , Golden Pagoda , Buddhist Monastery and Busy Harbor. Photographing at different time of the day will help you capture the different story and also can make the different times of natural light . Here are some must-visit places for shooting in Yangon and if you wish to explore Yangon in depth through your lens , you are informed to check the best collections of Yangon Photo Tour Packages these photo tour Programs in Yangon are professionally designed by experienced local photography guide . If you wish to do some private photo tour around Yangon and beyond, Off course we sincerely like to suggest you to check Yangon Tour Packages and let us know to customize your trip.
01. Shwedagon Pagoda
Early visit to Shwedagon Pagoda is highly recommend to hang around the Pagoda platform before dawn . Due to less crowded Pagoda platform and illuminated golden Pagoda , you will feel relaxed to pay more attention to what you are shooting and interesting subjects to be photographed .What you will see around the Pagoda platform are Buddhist monks , nuns and people who is chanting , praying , meditating , lighting the candle and donating water , flowers and incense sticks so on .
What camera gears to bring?
- Tripod for shooting the illuminated pagoda before dawn .
- Wide angle to photograph the whole structure of pagoda
- 24-70 mm is supposed to be your primary lens to photograph all activities happening around the pagoda platform.
- 70-200 mm can be your secondary lens for making interesting subjects in the distance
The right time to be at pagoda platform .. You are suggested to get to pagoda platform not later than 05 :30 in the morning and 04:40 in the afternoon . How much to pay ? Entry fees to access to Pagoda is 10,000 Kalaw per person – No camera fess collected . If you keep the ticket and sticker that you have received for morning visit , please just keep it for after visit to Pagoda
02. Naga Hlaing Gu Monastery
Naga Hlaing Gu Monastery also known as Kalaywa Taw Ya Monastery is more than religious centre which is located next to The Swe Taw Myat paya or “Buddha tooth relic pagoda” . Where more than thousand of Buddhist monks reside in harmony to learn Buddhist Scriptures . Hanging around monastic compound is one of the must-do activities for photographers to make the best photos of monastic life through the lens . Right time to be at the monastery .. You are suggested to get to monastery not later than 10:30 am . you might have half and hour to hang around for free shooting and all monks and novices from the monastery come out and line up to go to the dining hall in procession . Things you should not do … ! Photographing around monastery compound is possible but making noise , getting closer to novices while eating , touching the body of Buddhist novices are not appropriate manners .
Right gears to bring ?
- No tripod and wide angle lens required
- 24-70 mm shall be your primary lens .
- You should bring the prime lens of 85 mm and 50 mm for making the good portrait if you have these lens .
03. Yangon’s Central Train Station
Yangon Central Train Station is believed to be one of the interesting corner for street photography . Should you need experience the true essence of local life in Yangon as you travel for three hours through the city’s rural landscape. While Yangon is a fast-paced, chaotic city to get lost in, riding the Circle Line train provides a window into the daily routine of the Myanmar people away from the commercial center of the country. What you need to do is to go down to platform No.06 which is reserved for circle trains going around the city .The train ticket will cost only 200 Ks and circle trains pull in and out every twenty minutes especially circle train going around the city is punctual only in the morning . It might take more than two hours for one round ( 45.9-kilometre (28.5 mi) 39-station loop system connects satellite towns and suburban areas to the city )
What to see and shoot around train station ?
Local people waiting for the train on the platform and sitting in the train before train pull out of the station , the people loading and unloading the local products are looking interesting to shoot .
The best approach to make the great photo ..
Your warm smile and sweet talking is best gifts for the local people or your models before you photograph . And suggest you not to forget to say “ Thank you ” in local language to show your appreciation .
Right gears to bring …
- No tripod and wide angle lens required
- 24-70 mm shall be your primary lens and 70-200 mm also should be with you while hanging around the train station .
- My suggestion for you is not to carry your heavy and big camera bag if that is not necessary for you . Local people will not feel easy whenever they see the photographers approaching with their big camera bag or backpack .
- Please make yourself easy and relaxed first to make your models relaxed
Right time to be at train station :
- Morning train ride is highly recommended to see more activities during the train ride
- If you are not taking the train ride , Morning visit ( between 08:30 -09:30 am ) afternoon visit before 04:30 pm is the best time to visit train station where to do free shooting and street photography .
04-Yangon Central Fish Market
Needless to recommend to those who want to record the real activities of the lively fish market through your lens . Central SanPya Wholesale Fish Market is a must-visit for those looking for something a little bit different. But Being dirty, stinky, slippery and crowded will be another challenges that you can not avoid .
Where is it ?
It is situated on the banks of the Rangoon River in west Rangoon near the intersection of Kyee Myin Daing Kannar Road and Nat Sin Street. The market has about 200 shops and 400 to 500 sellers, and 4000 to 5000 tonnes of fish are sold every week to both Yangon and other rural townships.
The best time to go and shoot …
Very early morning visit( 04:00 am ) is a must-do to see the real and interesting activities of ships and little boats draw into the harbor to offload their cargo: fresh fish caught from neighboring regions, especially the fertile Irrawaddy Delta.Laborers haul baskets of tuna, sardines and catfish off the vessels to be packaged for the businesses which ordered them.The piles of fish are put on ice and packed onto container trucks to be driven to markets, supermarkets and shops around town.
Right gears to bring …
- 24-70 mm should be the proper lens for shooting around the fish market.
- The use of flashgun for shooing around the fish market is also suggested if you do not mind .
- Bringing the camera bag , wearing good shoes and good long pants not recommended .
05- Yangon Colonial Buildings
Yangon formerly known as Rangoon was one of the British’s great capitals and they have incorporated a very impressive town planning effort that has its legacy preserved until now . Finding your way around the town area is still rather easy to record the great photo of these impressive buildings. Morning time is the best to walk down the streets of downtown Yangon to explore the different ways of lives on the morning street markets and the decaying facade of these buildings are filled with old paint and small trees squeezing through those little cracks. The buildings are still above all standing as they have been for over a century. The right day to walk around the city center01- is SUNDAY because of very less crowded streets and roads . There will be no traffic congestion on Sunday so that you will have a chance to enjoy all colonial buildings very clear and easy to make the better photographs through your lens on Sunday . To learn Yangon City Heritage List
06-Yangon Busy Harbor
One more must-go place for street photography in Yangon is Sin Ohae Dan Harbor, located on Stand Road is a hive of trading activity and also which is one of the busy and interesting harbor with local cargo ships both large and small come to load and unload their goods , destined for the city’masses . In addition to that , the local people living on the other side of river mainly rely on the river commuters that are running up and down Yangon river . The right time to visit ….
- Afternoon visit before the dust is the right moments to see the people getting in the river commutes and sailing up to the fishing village and the people loading and unloading the local products. The best sunset shots in Yangon can be made around the jetty .
There are more hidden places in Yangon where to make the great pictures like no other .Why not let us know openly anytime ? our sincere suggestions will surely make you explore in depth of Yangon for making the iconic street photographs of your life There are a lot of interesting things to discover in Myanmar .
In conclusion, choosing one of your photography tour packages is your right decision for better street photography in Myanmar.
