Sunrise Over Bagan, Myanmar, 2014 2342414HC

Sunrise Over Bagan, Myanmar, 2014: Hors d' commerce

Cory Richards

“I don’t remember the image as much as the experience of this. It was my 6th(?) assignment for National Geographic Magazine and we were en-route to the Northern reaches of Myanmar; territory long closed to outside visitors.

Our small team of six had elected to travel overland from the capitol of Rangoon, boarding trains, busses, and boats, taking us ever northward towards the thick jungles of the Kachin State and the border with TibetWe stumbled out of the stuffiness of an overnight bus overflowing with people into a dense mist blanketing the temples of Bagan and scrambled to collect our cameras.

Climbing to the top of the nearest temple, we watched the world unfold in spectacular splashes of color as the immensity of the ancient site unveiled itself.

I remember willing my camera to somehow capture the emotive quality of the experience…almost willing a sense of awe into the frames and hoping everyone who looked at them would feel as though they were sitting there with me.”