NZPhotographer Issue 29, March 2020

I lead a tech start-up that is determined to
make food systems better, as a result I spend
a lot of time behind a computer or on a
plane. To me, photography is a creative form
of observation that brings greater awareness
of the world. Along with another passion,
printmaking, my aim is to tell a story or provide
a context using an image.
@helenmdarling
FACES OF MYANMAR
A recent visit to Myanmar provided the opportunity to capture the usual travel
photographs: balloons over Bagan, towering golden pagodas and crimson and orangeclad
monks as far as the eye could see. What really caught my attention, however, were
the ‘everyday’ people.
Myanmar is a country that continues to struggle and, in the outlying regions, most people
live hand to mouth. In spite of the obvious hardship, people were warm, generous and
welcoming. While some tribes still practice the outlawed tattooing of women’s faces, other
faces were etched by years of hardship and of humour. In the mountainous Chin region
we met women who had full facial tattoo (no skin exposed) and those with the spider-web
pattern (shown). The women we met were resilient and proud. Tobacco use appeared
widespread – with a large number of women smoking home-made cheroots or pipes.
‘Old Man’ is the photo that humbles me. I was invited into this elderly mans home - a single
room no more than 2 metre square. The photo represents the closeness of the space, his
openness and the flimsiness of a home that, sitting at 4,600 feet above sea level, didn’t
maintain much heat!
March 2020 67