Daybreak in Myanmar

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/in-pictures-34190035

Version 0 of 1.

Photographer Geoffrey Hiller has been documenting the people of Myanmar, also known as Burma, since 1987, and has made a number of visits to the country since military rule was replaced by a new military-backed civilian government in late 2010.

Hiller's pictures focus on the everyday lives of the Burmese people, shots captured while walking the streets or over a cup of tea at a roadside stop.

He first visited Myanmar on a one-week visa in 1987, and despite travel restrictions, developed a love for the country.

As time passed, each visit has seen a relaxation of military rule, though while there in 2000, he often hid his cameras and was stopped a number of times by what he calls "plainclothes agents", though he managed to leave the country with 90 rolls of exposed film.

In 2011, he taught photography in Yangon having been hired by the US embassy, and a year later, was able to meet his students again, some of whom are now working for international and national media organisations, as well as posting to social media following further relaxation of restrictions by the authorities.

Despite these changes Hiller is aware that the future of Myanmar is still uncertain. Much rests on the first openly-contested general election to be held in the country in 25 years.

Here is a selection of pictures from his latest book, Daybreak in Myanmar, which also contains a number of interviews with prominent Burmese figures.

Daybreak in Myanmar by Geoffrey Hiller is published by Verve Photo Books. Hiller is also editor of Verve Photo: The New Breed of Documentary Photographers.