Spotted in Pathein on the Irrawaddy Delta, Myanmar, a pick-up truck loaded with young women just about to start on the trip back to their village. It was sweltering hot and they were packed tightly into the back of the truck, sitting on the hard metal deck. They look as if they have had a hard day already. A different world.
The photo was taken with my Leica Q.
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- You can find more from John Shingleton at The Rolling Road and on Instagram at therollingroad.
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Jean , thanks for your kind comment on my photos. Yes, I do have a soft spot for the people of Myanmar and have really enjoyed by my visits there. I enjoy taking photos of people anywhere, particularly people happy and smiling-I don’t do beggars and sadness. I am just an amateur photographer not a photojournalist. I have just been to the remote Kimberley region of Western Australia and really struggled to take landscapes as there were no people around
I did not intend to buy a Leica Q. I was more than happy with my X1 and also the X Vario. As you may know I won a substantial prize in a photo competition-with a shot taken with the X1-and put the proceeds into buying the Q really without too much deep thought.
There is no doubt that the Q is a superb camera- the IQ is amazing as is the autofocus speed- but to answer your question the Q is not as discrete as the X1 and it is relatively big and heavy and I do not feel as comfortable with it as I do with the X1. I am just about to head off to Portugal and even two days out from the flight I am still tossing up whether to take the small discrete and light X! or the Q. A first world problem I know and I reproach myself for having such a dilemma.
I have never handled a GR so cannot really comment on it other than to say that it looks as if it is as discrete or even more discrete than the X1.
Very nice shot. It seems you have a soft spot for Myanmar. So do I. It reminds me of the bumpy roads between Yangon and Pathein I travelled 2 years ago with tractors filled with vast amount of sacks of rice plus the overcrowded local public transport and the numerous tolls between the 2. I’m thinking of moving from the ricoh GR to the leica Q in the future, but I always have the same question: is it as discreet and inconspicuous as a GR is? It is much bigger, that I know but do you feel as comfortable as with your X1? Thanks for encouraging me to use my X2 a couple of weeks back. It is the second camera I bond with, with amazing IQ. I’ve been through your flickr site and enjoyed your images shot with the X1 and the Q. They are really great and full of humanity.
Tuco, thanks for the positive feedback on the Rolling Road. I wish that I had spent more time photographing,Campbell, the Swagman now that I know that he is the real thing. The story in the Sydney Morning Herald had a very evocative photo of him striding down a gumtree lined track with his swag over his shoulder in golden light. It’s one of those photos I find myself looking at and saying "If only I had taken that".
Your picture led me to The Rolling Road and the excellent swagman and Myanmar posts. Good stuff.
(I barely recognize the places I travelled in the late 80-90s.)
Nice "street" shot John and I like your use of depth of field. Well done.
Richard, thank you.