TITLE: Tribal Identity

A young Suri boy paints his face with white clay and women decorate their hands with bronze bracelets. Suri or Surma tribe live on the west bank of the Omo River. They have maintained important symbols of tribal identity, such as face and body painting. The fine art of indigenous body painting was perfected centuries ago by the ancient Suri and tribespeople of the region. The shapes and colors convey a strong bond and meaning amongst them. They are a connection to their past and carry a very strong cultural meaning in their lives.

AUTHOR: Zay Yar Lin (Myanmar)

I was born in Taungdwingyi, Myanmar, a country where a lot of beautiful places are existed. I've been into photography since 2014.
I'm a seafarer working as a Captain of the ship and I spent most of my time in traveling during my vacation time.
My passion is to document people, landscapes, culture and relation between them. I mainly focus on daily life, portraits and culture; images that tell stories of people and sense of the places. I always seek the moment and light in capturing travel images and try to use my photographic instinct to turn ordinary to extraordinary. As a photographer, my objective is to witness the moment and record the human stories. I believe photography can capture powerful story telling images and inspire us to make a positive change in our world.
I'm a lifetime member of Myanmar Photographic Society and I have won two times Best Photographer of the Year in Myanmar. I've won numerous National and International Awards including major awards from Nikon and Sony throughout years. My photos have been published in National Geographic Magazine, Digital Camera Magazine and other international photography books and magazines. I have showcased my works at many exhibitions across the world.