Myanmar: Zay Yar Lin

"I was born in Taungdwingyi, Myanmar, a country where a lot of beautiful places exist. I've been into photography since 2014.

I'm a seafarer working as a captain of the ship and I spent most of my time travelling during my vacation time.

My passion is to document people, landscapes, culture and the relation between them. I mainly focus on daily life, portraits and culture; images that tell stories of people and sense of the places. I always seek the moment and light in capturing travel images and try to use my photographic instinct to turn ordinary to extraordinary. As a photographer, my objective is to witness the moment and record the human stories. I believe photography can capture powerful story telling images and inspire us to make a positive change in our world. I'm a lifetime member of Myanmar Photographic Society and I have won two times Best Photographer of the Year in Myanmar. 

I've won numerous National and International Awards including major awards from Nikon and Sony throughout the years. My photos have been published in National Geographic Magazine, Digital Camera Magazine and other international photography books and magazines. I have showcased my works at many exhibitions across the world. I have worked with Manulife Insurance (based in Canada) for their advertising photography project and open to work with other commercial companies for their photography projects. I'm also leading photo tours in Myanmar and abroad too."

Myanmar: Zay Yar Lin

Title: The Game of Jumps

"The photo was taken at the Hsinbyume pagoda which is a large pagoda located on the northern side of Mingun in the Sagaing Region in Myanmar, on the western bank of Irrawaddy River. The pagoda was built by King Bagyidaw in 1816, it was constructed in memory of his senior wife, princess Hsinbyume. The whole pagoda was painted with white and it attracts many tourists today.

When I visited the Hsinbyume Pagoda in Sagaing in December 2019, I noticed some novices playing on the wavy curves of this wonderful white pagoda. The scene is so eye-catching as the novices are wearing red robes and the white pagoda contrasts with the blue sky behind. I decided to take some shots and asked the novices to keep playing and jumping for a while. I used a fast shutter speed to freeze them at the right moment. I was happy as I was able to record the powerful moment and joyfulness of the novices, who were just kids and playful."