Original Workshop Artwork for 'Burmese Days'

In December 2018,
DANIEL SCHWARTZ and PHILIP BLENKINSOP
Led a Photographic, Roadtrip Workshop
with five participants through Burma.

Here is Their Journey


'BURMESE DAYS'

the Workshop in Review>

Daniel Schwartz, Burma 2015

Philip Blenkinsop, Burma 1992

Daniel and I each have our own special love affairs with Burma.

Back in 2012, preparing images for an exhibition to be held in my Bangkok 2SnakeStudio with dear friend Gary Knight, Daniel and I both pulled images from our archives of an identical mountain ridge which lay under siege by Tatmadaw forces; images which,  we realized, must have been shot within dying breaths of each other more than twenty years prior.

We never met on that distant mountain spur, but for that and all the other near misses, it made perfect sense that in December of 2018, Daniel and I should return to Burma together, this time to lead a seven day Photography Roadtrip Workshop.

We would travel overland through Burma from Rangoon to Kyaiktiyo, through to Hpa An and on to Moulmein on the mighty Thanlwin River, returning by train to mount an exhibition for our final night presentation at the MyanmArt Gallery in downtown Rangoon.

There was no hierarchy in place; Yes, Daniel and I were there to help open eyes and doors and to push a little, but otherwise, we travelled as colleagues, alert to each other's needs and celebrating, discreetly or not, as the case may be, each other's observations and discoveries.

What follows here is an account in images and testimonies of our wonderful week together.

Moulmein Station.

Arriving in Kyaiktiyo on Day one.

Kinpun. 1st December 2018

Intrepid photographers one and all: Rita Khin and Ko Myo from Burma, Tawatchai Pattanaporn from Thailand and Vaughan Harvey Guan from Australia pictured here with Daniel towards the end of day one in Kinpun taking a tea-break. Yu Yu Myint Than was along for the ride as well to take care of logistics but we are happy to say that she found plenty of time to shoot as well.
Our days were full and demanding, but the camaraderie never waned.

On the road, about to pull out of Moulmein station, snapped for posterity by Tawatchai on his Polaroid Land camera.

PB. shooting with the Fuji GFX50R on the train to Rangoon 6th December 2018

While we sip on our sweet Burmese tea, Daniel steps down into the street's theatre and begins working a scene with his Blad. Kinpun. Day one.

Talking pictures with Tawatchai at dusk on the banks of the Thanlwin. Burma, December 2018. © Yu Yu Myint Than

Editing 'Burmese Days'. Moulmein. Dec 2018

Editing with Vaughan. Moulmein Dec 2018

The image within the image. Duelling with Daniel on the Thanlwin. Pics © Tawatchai & Blenkinsop

Ko Myo

Hpa An. Thanlwin. © Ko Myo

KoMyo came to the workshop with the reputation of never having taken an image of a human being in his life. Something of an in-joke among Burmese photography circles. 'He can't do it' his colleagues would affectionately say. Elephants were his sole focus and Daniel and I promised him that we would not find any elephants on the trip.
Stepping up to the plate, he nailed some wonderful images and set about proving all his critics wrong.

Hpa An, Burma. © Ko Myo

Ko Myo scouting for scenes along the banks of the Thanlwin River, Hpa An. Pic PB 3rd December 2018

Daniel and Ko Myo

Golden Rock, Burma. © Ko Myo

Ko Myo introducing his work to the gathered audience for the 'Burmese Days' exhibition on our final night in Rangoon.

Vaughan Harvey Guan

Golden Rock transportation. ©VHG

Vaughan, in his own words:

"Having attended one of Philip's previous workshops in Shanghai with over 20 students and taken away so much, I could only imagine what I could learn from such an intimate workshop, and with Daniel Schwartz as well.

Vaughan on the train to Kyaiktiyo.

Vaughan, Daniel, YuYu and Rita, pulling out of Rangoon on day one.

Phil's unmatched intensity and Daniel's more gentle approach work perfectly together, pushing you out of your comfort zone and tackling your weaknesses.

I couldn't recommend the experience enough.

One of the most stand-out moments for me was on the roof of a truck on the first day. Between feeling like I was going to roll off the roof every time we came to a bend and thinking what was going to happen to us up there if we had a collision, I really had a "we're not in Kansas anymore" moment and it set the pace for how exciting and interesting the rest of the trip was going to be."

Riding the truck-roof to Kinpun. Tawatchai, me and Daniel. © Vaughan

"Honestly, the transportation as a whole was pretty out there. The truck we rode in up to the golden rock could have almost been an amusement park ride had it had any safety features, and the fact that passengers had to vacate the bus to be able to safely cross bridges boggles my mind!"

VHG

Moulmein. Burma. © Vaughan Harvey Guan 2018

Vaughan Harvey Guan introducing his work to the gathered audience for the 'Burmese Days' exhibition on our final night in Rangoon. © PB

Rita Khin

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Walking the streets of Moulmein, Tawatchai was shooting polas and Daniel and I were watching Rita working a street corner, trying hard but just with that vital proximity to the subject out of reach. I remember going over and pulling her physically into that 'theatre' and we shot together with me whispering comments over her shoulder about all those myriad things that go through your head while interpreting scenes; "look at the hands crossing, see the shadow and the light on his shoulders, too much sky - get in closer, the eyes, the EYES!" and on. Finished, Rita turned her back on the scene and walked towards Daniel and I, her expression registered this epiphany. In that instant she had changed.
After that Daniel and I would share a smile whenever she started chasing down an image in the street.
We had been trying for a few days to inject some urgency into our walks, but our efforts had seemed doomed to failure until this point!
That night around the dinner table we all agreed her new nickname should be 'Roaring Rita'.

Rita Khin shooting in Hpa An. © PB

Rita Khin Shooting from the train. © PB

Hpa An, Burma. © Rita Khin

Rita Khin Shooting in Moulmein. © PB

PB pushing Rita out of her comfort zone. Moulmein. Pics DS

Golden Rock Environs, Burma. © Rita Khin

Rita Khin introducing her work to the gathered audience for the 'Burmese Days' exhibition on our final night in Rangoon. © PB

Tawatchai Pattanaporn

Tawatchai, in his own words:

"I’ve been following Philip Blenkinsop’s work since I began to take photo about 15 years ago when he based in Thailand. All of his published works are wonderful, very honest, and emotional and exhibit different perspective of human being than other photographers, It also inspires me to improve my skill over all these years.

Being part of this workshop which was organized as a road trip helps me realize the kind of magic that his works possess, what he’s looking for, his skill and his method to acquire the photo he wants. Philip worked really hard during the workshop to guarantee the participants would get the best out of it. I truly admire his dedication. He ushered us to push ourselves further. Whenever he had a chance he would give us advice on technique that would fit each of us and we would spend some time practicing together to make sure that we know how to use it.

His approach to acquire high standard photo has taught us not to compromise with any lower standard of quality."

TP

"Daniel Schwartz believes in what he sees. He might not take any photo all day but he perceives and manage his memory by drawing them out. His way of describing how the brain receives images was very interesting and prudent, His experience always triggered something in our mind. His works, elegant and complete. He puts 2 or 3 photos together and that changes the way we interpret his work, bringing new perspective into editing and sequencing photos.

I’d like to share one special moment: when Daniel and I were walking around and taking photo at Golden Rock, Myanmar; Daniel pointed to what was going on in front of us about 3 metres away. It was two young porters, behind them was an imitation of a mountain. They were both squatting on the first step of stairs. After a while they stood up stretching their arms and torso to different sides. They made fun of each other just as ordinary human beings do. That was a gorgeous photo being revealed right there! It was a magical moment. Daniel told me it would make a great photo. Neither of us got it but it was a great 'seeing' experience; a memory so crystal clear that I could draw it."

TP

Burma. ©Tawatchai Pattanaporn

Tawatchai, avoiding death and snapping the trucks on the road to the Golden Rock. ©PB

Burma. © Tawatchai Pattanaporn

Tawatchai Pattanaporn introducing his work to the gathered audience for the 'Burmese Days' exhibition on our final night in Rangoon. © PB

A thank you note to VII from Tawatchai Pattanaporn

Daniel and I with Tawatchai and his handmade book on the evening of our presentation in Rangoon.

Yu Yu Myint Than

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Hpa An, Burma ©YuYu Myint Than

Ko Myo, Yu Yu and Tawatchai On the banks of the Thanlwin, Hpa An © PB

Golden Rock, Burma. © Yu Yu Myint Than

Yu Yu Myint Than introducing her work to the gathered audience for the 'Burmese Days' exhibition on our final night in Rangoon.

Comedy Movie, Moulmein. © PB

Evening feedback in Moulmein. © PB

Daniel explaining his 'Cobra' approach over seafood on the Thanlwin River in Moulmein. © PB

Daniel snapped by Philip with the Fuji. Hpa An shoot-out

Burma Dec 2018 © Daniel Schwartz

Philip, snapped by Daniel with his 'Blad'. Hpa An shoot-out.

The Bridge At Kyaung Su. Burma. December 2018 © Blenkinsop

On the Bridge at Kyaung Su our Loco ploughs into three Cows and a Calf, derailing itself in the process as two of the beasts are tumbled to death under its carriages. What I can only assume is the Mother lies terrified , broken and dying on the tracks next to her decapitated calf. I try to comfort her with soothing words and a calming hand, questioning onlookers whether someone cannot shoot the poor beast, but even with the two full carriages of newly graduated Tatmadaw, it seems there is not a gun to be had, or perhaps it was the will that could not be found, so I leave her suffering and waiting there in the heat. Kyaung Su, Burma, 10th December 2018

Rangoon. December 2018 © Blenkinsop

Daniel Schwartz - Modus Operandi

Philip Blenkinsop - Modus Operandi

If it applies what Alain de Botton says in his book The Art of Travel (2002), that the pleasure we derive from journeys is perhaps dependent more from the mindset with which we travel than on the destination we travel to, then it could be argued that my journey begins before I pack the gear and ends when I set down my bag on returning home. At most times I find getting into this mindset is much more difficult than being on the road. Maps I look at, books I consult confirm yet again what I already know—it will be impossible to make new factual discoveries, say, in Burma, a giant Buddha.

Reclining Buddha, recovered from the jungle in the 1880's, Pegu, Burma

This realization, however, takes away a burden. It frees my mind before setting out and it frees the eye once I am on the road. A discovery thus can be anything that captures my attention. When no filter —thematically, methodically—must be implemented, when no third-parties’ exceptions must be met, then as a photographer I can be a flâneur and my subject really is the transient. In the course of the journey, the unassigned, indefinite and vague, any chance objects I may find and a sketch I may draw, the notes I record and the words I write down start to relate, and my itinerary takes shape as a diary or journal. It records my mood at the moment, a longing perhaps, my delight about an image missed or a reflection about one captured. In this record the story, if there had to be one, is secondary. The record itself becomes the story, and a personal document. Evidence of a unique experience made—folded or bound sheets, briming over with things stuck onto the pages or slim and austere like the diary Albrecht Dürer kept on his Netherlands journey 1520-1521. 

Albrecht Dürer, Self-portrait at the age of twenty

Over time the visual record will become an indispensable counterpart to the photographs taken en route, but as these will have many lives, The Burmese Days journal will always remain in an edition of one precious, sole copy. We are looking forward very much to see your copies in the making!

I am acutely aware that at anytime on the road I may be surprised by an event, perhaps more likely of less than major significance but nevertheless an event which will unfold only once in such fashion in an eternity.
Thus my road trips become exhausting affairs where I am constantly choreographing the life in front of me in my mind's eye and interpreting it in real time ready to raise the camera to my eye.
The road allows us to give in to the forces at play and follow our nose. It is neither the place for agendas nor preconceived notions and there are no wrong turns.
A broken-down train is not a setback, it is a wonderful opportunity to alight and soak up the track-side theatre as people from all walks of life congregate to survey and comment on the spectacle.

Train to Mandalay. Burma. 2012

Indeed, each gifted moment, no matter how insignificant it might seem at the time, has the potential to become an integral part of the narrative during the editing stages.
At the end of each day, I retire to a street-stall, or if luck might have it, a bamboo restaurant slung low over fast-moving water and with night fast falling, make small sketches of the images I have made during the course of the day. It is my way of keeping track of where I am in terms of a body of work.
Once the journey is finished and an edit is finalised, the character of the place within which I have been travelling begins to develop.
It is an honest approach in as much as I have relied on the people around me and the life unfolding to guide me in my choice of moments.
​For me, there is no other way to work.

Mount Popa, Burma. 1996

About the workshop...

One of the best ways to learn any skill is by observing master practitioners at work.

This is the reasoning behind offering such an intimate workshop experience; to ensure that participants have the invaluable opportunity to observe Daniel and Philip, seasoned exponents of their art, at work in the field. 

The ability to preempt images and to frame, focus and shoot while moving is an art best demonstrated in such an environment

Importantly, Daniel and Philip are generous and non-possessive when it comes to the events unfolding around them, encouraging participants to go forward and engage with people, camera in hand, while offering constructive advice in real time.

Our days will be spent observing, building confidence, readying ourselves and seeking out those special moments that as photographers we live for, documenting them as they happen, whether walking the streets, journeying by train, bus or boat or simply sat at a tea shop watching the world go by.

It is these captured frames that, when pieced together to form a whole, will make each person’s journal a unique commentary on what is sure to be a memorable journey. 

Leaving Rangoon, we will stay in (or in the environs of) Bago, Kyaktiyo (famous for the Golden Rock) Hpa An and finally, Moulmein.
(of course, as with any successful road-trip, the key is to always be prepared to take advantage of surprises along the way, which may mean modifications to the schedule. At times like this it is important to remember; the journey IS the destination!)

Participants will edit between forays with camera and make use of a portable communal printer to produce work for their travelogues-cum-journals which will take shape along the route and which will provide some of the focus for discussion after dark over local delicacies.

The workshop will culminate with a presentation dinner in Rangoon.

An image or excerpt from each student’s journal will be posted on VII’s Instagram feed.

Participants are responsible for their own accommodation, travel and living and expenses. 

Uniformed and armed prison guards in Rangoon, Burma. 1910-1920 Carpenter, Frank G. (Frank George), 1855-1924