An evening at the U Bein bridge

The U bein bridge in Amarapura, near Mandalay, is one of the must-see locations in Myanmar. It leads across the shallow Taungthaman lake and is the longest teak bridge in the world, spanning 1.2 km. After 200 years it is still standing strong! The best time to visit is at sunset when you can photograph silhouettes of people crossing the bridge. That sounds easier than it is, since quite often there a large groups of people in one big clump (NOT an attractive silhouette). I found that for an effective image you want just a few individuals that will provide you with a nice graphic shot. Here are the two shots that I liked the best from my visit. (you can click on the image to see a larger version)

Walking back across the bridge after sunset I noticed this farmer who had just returned from plowing the field with his oxen. There was barely enough light for this shot. Setting up my tripod on the wooden bridge was another problem. I needed a fairly long exposure and every time I pressed the shutter someone would start walking down the bridge and my tripod started to vibrate too much for a sharp shot. But one worked!

And for something a little different, here is one in monochrome, taken before heading out to our sunset shoot.

As usual, you can find more images of my trip to Myanmar on my website.