David Heath Captures Burmese Lives In His Remarkable Photographic Series

Sophia Francis

Traversing the most remote Burmese terrain, photographer David Heath has explored this beautiful Asian country to artfully depict the lives of the Burmese people. His photography series titledBurma: An Enchanted Spirit shows the intricacies of Burmese life alongside this entirely unique and largely unexplored culture.

Novice strolling over Mya Thein Tan Pagoda in Mingun

A quest to portray this distinctive and complex culture – this is the journey that photographer David Heath undertook, seeking to explore and convey Burma’s beauty with his camera at the ready. Discovering his true passion for photography in 1998, Heath has since explored various remote locations including Cambodia, Bhutan, Nepal and Africa. His travels have led him to produce the most stunning revelations of different cultures and remote lives.
Ranging from the still, tranquil Burmese waters to the livestock that powerfully work the land, Heath’s photography strikingly captures the absolute essence of this Asian country. A place that is rich in history, with its complex civil wars and economical strife, Burma is a country with a deep past. It is this inherent history that is captured in Heath’s photography. One image succinctly features a female worker as she cultivates crops from the fertile soil, and another portrays a narrow, raised walkway as a setting sun shines the last of its vermilion rays onto the glistening water below it. His work is photography of the highest degree, comprised of perfect angles, lighting and a unique portrayal of the landscape.

Ahka working in terrace rice field

Having exhibited photographic series on Nambia, Papua, Madagascar and beyond, Heath’s portfolio is incredibly diverse. The Enchanted Spirit series is available in a bound leather book, complete with a brief historical description of Burma and its culture. The photographer’s work elucidates lives and cultures that are remote to the Western world, and does so in a truly accomplished, remarkable way.

Burmese livestock
Novice cycling in Wan Puak Palaung Village in Shan State
Shwe Thar Lyaung in Bagan
Local restaurants on island of Monywa
Novices rowing canoe in Hpa An in Kayin State
Monks and novices on U Bein Bridge
Sunrise over Tan Chi Mountain in Bagan
landscape with balloons floating in the air

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