Black and white photojournalism by award winning photographer David Lee Longstreath
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tales from the trail

Portrait of a Myanmar Taxidriver

4/17/2020

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Picture
His smile was what first caught my eye as I stood watching the people of Sittwe, Myanmar, on a warm December afternoon.  He was a tricycle taxi driver waiting for customers from a bustling market half a block away.
 
Often when I am photographing people on the street in a new place, I take a wait and watch position.  That's because standing in one spot just watching the rhythm of the street gives me an idea of how to photograph the people.  

Sittwe was in a very remote part of Myanmar.  When I arrived from Yangon, I was the only westerner on the flight.  Guide books had suggested staying at one of three hotels in town, and their ratings were barely two stars.

But this was not a tourist trip. As always, I had come to take photographs.

I have always been in love with the black and white image.  It has been more than 50 years of shooting; I have not stopped looking.  For me, black and white photos strip away all of the unnecessary information.  "Is it a moment?" I ask myself, or have I "just recorded a scene?"

I could tell the taxi driver was getting shout outs from the others. They had noticed me and my cameras, but I waited just a few seconds longer.  Putting my camera to my eye, the man turned and flashed an incredible smile.

Not a big moment, I told myself. But not merely a scene either. This was the first thing I photographed in Sitwee. It was going to be a good trip.  
Fine art prints for sale at Fine Art America.com or www.pixels.com
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    Tales from the Trail
    Stories and thoughts from a 40 year veteran shooter.

David Lee Longstreath is a retired wire service photographer with more than 40 years experience on assignments around the world. He currently lives in upcountry Thailand.


​Contact me at dlongstreath@mac.com

Prints available at
Fine Art America.com


  • Tales from the Trail (blog)
  • Fine Art for Sale
  • Afghanistan Diary
  • Pakistan Diary
  • Tattoo Madness
  • Brother No. 1
  • Brother No. 2
  • Earthquake
  • Body Snatchers
  • Ladyboy
  • East Timor
  • Gulf War 1
  • Pakistan border camps
  • Forgotten War
  • One Survivor
  • My World in B&W
  • 10,000 Dead
  • Thaipusam In Malaysia
  • mondo bizzaro
  • About
  • Contact
  • Brutal Land
  • Tales from the Trail (blog)
  • Fine Art for Sale
  • Afghanistan Diary
  • Pakistan Diary
  • Tattoo Madness
  • Brother No. 1
  • Brother No. 2
  • Earthquake
  • Body Snatchers
  • Ladyboy
  • East Timor
  • Gulf War 1
  • Pakistan border camps
  • Forgotten War
  • One Survivor
  • My World in B&W
  • 10,000 Dead
  • Thaipusam In Malaysia
  • mondo bizzaro
  • About
  • Contact
  • Brutal Land