portraits of asia dhrra leaders (in yangon, myanmar)

yoshikuni yatani: "has modern life made living better? are the gains worth the losses?"

soetrisno kusumohadi: a grounded spirituality firms up one's commitment to serve and help the poor

bambang ismawan: focusing on rice will not help farmers improve their income and alleviate poverty.

asia dhrra was holding its 9th conference and 40th year anniversary. understandably, the delegates had a busy schedule and i am deeply grateful that these luminaries of Asia Dhrra obliged me for a few minutes of posing. the camera i used is not the easiest camera to use. it does not have a light meter. it has no batteries and it has a tricky wide angle lens that has to be focused manually by estimating distance or by using a measuring tape (or the more sophisticated laser distance sensors). the hasselblad SWC is generally used for landscapes and architecture. but i took on the idea from bill brandt who mastered the use of the camera for portraits. and, i almost forgot to mention, it is a film camera.  i like the results and, now, it has become my standard portrait tool.

asia dhrra stands for Asian Partnership for the Development of Human Resources in Rural Areas.  (see link: https://www.agricord.org/index.php/agriagencies/asiadhrra)

wen-chi huang: agri-business management expert, immediate past-president of asiadhrra currently holding executive board membership

sustaining and promoting peasant concerns and issues

kya moo: a christian pastor in myanmar who is actively involved in peasant issues