Bagan Cattle Herder, Myanmar

• Photographer
  Joël Odesser, Hong Kong
• Studio
  Joel Odesser Photography
• Website
  http://joel.odesser.com
• Instagram
  @jodesser

Finding a quiet spot to watch the sunset in Bagan has become a
challenging exercise. As tourism booms in Myanmar, larger crowds
take a tour of the Unesco world heritage site, a wonder which is well
worth exploring at least once in a lifetime.

Getting slightly higher helps to enjoy a good viewpoint at twilight,
hence visitors climb on the few pagodas allowing so.

I was looking for such vantage point while hoping I could find an
undiscovered temple, not only to enjoy the charm of the site when
quiet, but also to have a visitor-free perspective.

After about an hour cycling through sand paths, I found this remote
temple with indoor staircase climbing up to a terrace, ideal for the wait
until sunset and to observe local life as it happens in the area, such as
this cattle herder bringing sheeps back home in a smoky cloud of dust.

This frame aims at capturing the beauty of Myanmar and encouraging
for environment-responsible tourism.

As a visual artist and photographer, my inspiration is intimately connected to my passion for travel. I am lucky to have lived internationally and discovered diverse cultures. This has shaped my photographic expression to an unexpected paradox: the exploration of contrasts between the gentle and abstract beauty lying in Nature, compared to rich and overloaded urban environments.

Awards 2020 - Bronze winner - PRIX DE LA PHOTOGRAPHIE PARIS AWARDS (PX3) photo competition - Special / Street Photography

Honorable Mention - MOSCOW INTERNATIONAL FOTO AWARDS (MIFA) photo competition - Editorial-Conflict

Honorable Mention - BUDAPEST INTERNATIONAL FOTO AWARDS (BIFA) photo competition - People / Life style

2017 - Silver winner - PRIX DE LA PHOTOGRAPHIE PARIS AWARDS (PX3) photo competition - Book Proposal / Nature

Bronze winner - MOSCOW INTERNATIONAL FOTO AWARDS (MIFA) photo competition - Science, Environment

2016 - Silver winner - TOKYO INTERNATIONAL FOTO AWARDS (TIFA) photo competition - Science, Environment

Bronze winner - TOKYO INTERNATIONAL FOTO AWARDS (TIFA) 2016 photo competition - Editorial, Environmental

2015 - Honorable Mention - PRIX DE LA PHOTOGRAPHIE PARIS AWARDS (PX3) photo competition - Press/Travel/Tourism

2014 - First price - ALLIANCE FRANCAISE DE HONG KONG photo competition "On joue sur la terre" ("Games on Earth")

2010 - Honorable Mention - INTERNATIONAL PHOTO AWARDS (IPA) photo competition