Featuring Yangon’s next generation of photographers. These are some of the recent images taken by the AYDC kids during Cameras for Asia classes and excursions of the life they experience in Myanmar’s biggest city. Get a snapshot of their world through these images as many of these photographs feature everyday sights, sounds, places, faces and sensations they encounter.

To read more about the recent workshops in Myanmar see this post : Behind the scenes of Cameras for Asia: Myanmar 2014. Do also note these images are available for purchase and all sales go direct to the centre.

Action at the AYDC football grounds. Image by: Pol lu

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Yangon is a city that has become familiar to me over the years and yet in the space of five years it has also become a vastly different place. Some aspects of the city are unrecognisable from 2009 and the rate of development is astounding as are the price hikes! It’s a mysterious place that is both Asia of old with crumbling edifices, hints of British colonialism and outdated, out moded ways such as trishaws and letter writing services and yet very modern as well with ATMs appearing, iPhone sellers and even the odd SUV on the road. It’s therefore a fascinating place for photography.

Having said that I didn’t get a lot of time for dedicated photography in Yangon at all during this visit. Most of my photos were taken in fleeting moments between classes, during classes or when I had gone out on errand to pick up prints or some such job.

Still I set myself the task of doing this post with just 25 shots that encapsulated this visit for me at the markets, on the boats, in downtown and Mingaladon. These photos were only taken within a 20km radius but segments of the city can seem worlds apart from the busy streets of a railway side market to the quiet of a pagoda or the sweaty dust of a brick makers workplace.

To see more images of Yangon in the database click here.

I was waiting to be picked up one day when this truck load of monks came past, all crammed in, fans held high to block the sun. When they saw me standing by the rubbish heap many craned to see me and smiles appeared.

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The first part of my recent overseas journey holding the Cameras for Asia workshops (see the Facebook page here for recent updates) took me back to Myanmar for my fourth visit to the Andrew’s Youth Development Centre (AYDC) on the outskirts of Yangon, the nation’s former capital and largest city.

I’ve been coming here since 2009 and it’s great to see the kids growing up. AYDC has 102 children that are housed, fed, clothed and educated in two large dormitories in the quiet neighbourhood of Minyingone. It’s very much a family for these kids, some of whom were abandoned, orphaned or their families simply can’t look after them. There’s little institutionalisation here which is great, the kids really are cared for and there are committed staff who have been here for years, and even some of the children grow up to help out at the centre. It’s great for me seeing familiar faces year after year as I feel part of the AYDC family as well.

The AYDC “family” taken in March 2014.

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I have returned from a six week trip to Asia hosting Cameras for Asia classes in Myanmar and Nepal.

The classes were really successful again and very enjoyable, however my time was also very busy and apart from Facebook (Visited Planet and Cameras for Asia) and Instagram posts there was no time to get online to update the blog.

However in the next few weeks I’ll report on the trip here, and also provide an array of photographs both by the students and myself. If you have time though it’s worth checking out the links above.

Thanks for your patience waiting for updates.

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All images are purchasable through the Visited Planet database. Feel free to email Jo at [email protected] with your comments/thoughts/photo aspirations. See and learn more atwww.visitedplanet.com