PHOTOGRAPHER, J MAUNG MAUNG, 23, was recently awarded first prize in a UNICEF photo competition. Timeout caught up with him to discuss his interest in image making and his job as a news photographer.

What was the theme of the UNICEF competition?

UNICEF gave us four themes to compete across at the competition. They are ‘The healthy life of children’, ‘Knowledge and children’, ‘Children exposed to danger’ and ‘Natural disasters and children’. I was awarded (a prize) based on the first theme ‘The healthy life of children’. My photo is of children playing happily.

Did you take the photo for the purpose of the competition?

I took the photo when I went to Namb Sam city, Shan State last year. When I saw the children playing happily and freely I felt like taking a photo so I took it, I still did not know about the competition at that point. So when I heard about the competition and the themes they gave, my photo was right for the first title so I got involved.

How sure of a prize were you when you entered the competition?

When I got involved in the competition I had a full expectation of a prize. But then I became worried when I saw that many other professionals also chose to compete in the competition.

How did you get into news photography?

I started learning about photography in 2003 when I finished my matriculation exam. I came to Yangon from Mandalay to learn more from my uncle and brother. Many people are self-trained and have time to prepare for competitions whenever they are held but I couldn’t give much time to competitions so I decided to get involved in the media so my photos would be published in the papers.

What is your opinion about the profession?

Photojournalists are very important because they have many respon-sibilities. When people look at photos they can realise things they’d never noticed before; photos can also convey a message that we cannot communicate with words. The media have to present only the truth so it is a big responsibility for the photojournalist. I feel very happy whenever people understand the message that I want to give through a photo.

Have you entered any other com-petitions?

Yes, I was involved in the Road Rules and Regulation’s Photo Com-petition. I was awarded 2nd place.

Are there differences of opinion between news photo-journalists and other photographers?

I started learning about photography in 2003 and at the time I did not think what I would do with it… I do think that news photojournalists are more responsible.

Has winning the prize changed you at all?

I think I have greater confidence than before. Whenever I face difficul-ties I always think of them as steps in my life so when I won the prize I was happy, more confident and felt like I’d moved up a step.