PICSPIRATION SUNDAY: Inle Lake in Myanmar brings out beautiful waterscapes with local fishers using their traditional fishing methods.
During my recent trip to Myanmar I followed what by many is considered the typical tourist route: Yangon, Bagan, Mandalay and Inle Lake.
Inle Lake is the second largest lake in Myanmar, covering 116 square kilometers. It is a very shallow lake, with the average depth being only 2,1 meters in the dry season.
The lake is rich of species, both in the water and above. And no less than 70.000 people have their homes around the lake. Almost all transportation takes place with small boats.
I focused on taking photos of the local fishers, who are out on the lake from before sunrise to after it is dark.
Photographing the fishers at Inle Lake
There is actually only one way to take photos of the fishers at Inle Lake: It is to rent a boat yourself! And so I did. In that way I could move quickly over long distances – and ask the boat driver to stop whenever I saw something interesting.
Most tourists fly into the city He Ho, about an hour from Nyaungshwe, a town very close to the northern end of the lake. Nyaungshwee is where most of the hotels are – and it is easy to hire a boat to take you out on the lake.
I used mostly my new Canon f2.8L IS II USM lens, which allowed me to get quite close to the fishers and also use a wide aperture when the light was getting square. Most photos were taken towards the sun.
Article 4 of 5 about photography in Myanmar
This article is part of a series of five about photography in Myanmar.
- Photography in Myanmar, article 1: Meeting the sun at U Bein bridge
- Photography in Myanmar, article 2: Marvelling at the temples in Bagan
- Photography in Myanmar, article 3: A quiet evening at Shwedagon Pagoda
- Photography in Myanmar, article 4: The fishers at Inle Lake
- Photography in Myanmar, article 5: 50 faces of Myanmar
More photos from Inle Lake
A fisher splashes into the water to scare the fish into his net. Photo: John Einar Sandvand
A fisher man considers his next move. Photo: John Einar Sandvand
A fisher at Inle lake. Photo: John Einar Sandvand
Fishing at sunset. Photo: John Einar Sandvand
Fisher at Inle Lake. Photo: John Einar Sandvand