Catching the light

 

In 2010, Birgit Neiser began documenting ways of life she knew would soon start to disappear as political change came to Myanmar. Since then, she has travelled across the country on timber trucks in the mountains of Kachin state, by motorbike in northern Shan State, and onboard an old fishing vessel in the Andaman Sea. The result is Catching the Light – a dazzling collection of photographs that captures a unique moment in Myanmar’s social, cultural, and political history. With a preface by Emma Larkin, author of Finding George Orwell in Burma and Everything is Broken “This book tells stories of resistance and resilience. Though life can be hard in Myanmar, if you look carefully, you can catch a brilliant light in people’s eyes, smiles, or somewhere in their movements. These pictures manage to capture that light. They juxtapose black and white, light and shade, landscape and people. They reveal our primitive infrastructure as well as our glamorous cultural heritage, our difficult way of life combined with graceful glances – a true reflection of our nation and our people.” ~ Ma Thida (Sanchaung), doctor, author, activist, and former political prisoner