Snap Judgments
Insight Myanmar31 Okt 2025

Snap Judgments

Episode #423: Ian Taylor is a Canadian photographer whose life shifted from the film industry to decades of work and travel across Southeast Asia. His first experience was with a government-sponsored Asian Studies program in the early 1990s. His early visits to Burma during the junta’s “Visit Myanmar Year” left a strong impression, and he became involved for a short time in advertising there.

By the late 1990s, Taylor had left advertising for photography, focusing on family portraits and NGO assignments across Asia. A formative volunteer trip to Bangladesh further deepened his commitment to humanitarian work, and led him back to Burma.

Taylor left the country in 2015, but reconnected in 2023 through the Thailand-based Border Consortium (TBC). He soon embarked on a volunteer photo project in five refugee camps, describing them as “an active, bustling town with everything.” His photography resists exploitative “poverty porn” and favors portraits that reflect dignity and agency. “Every portrait, in some way, it’s a collaboration.”

Critical of the tourism industry’s distortions, Taylor remains focused on authenticity, connection, and service. In his words: “If you could go to a holiday in the Maldives or something... well, I’d rather go [to a refugee camp]!”

Episoder(507)

Visa Verses

Visa Verses

Episode #222: Davin Hartanto, an experienced migration agent, discusses changes in Australia's student visa strategy, particularly how it is affecting Myanmar nationals after the coup. The changes are...

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Ciao, Enlightenment

Ciao, Enlightenment

Episode #221: Our guest, Lorenzo Colombo, talks about the great Italian monk, U Lokānatha. Born Salvatore Cioffi near Naples in 1897, his family temporarily moved to New York due to economic difficult...

27 Feb 20242h 10min

Cursing Tyranny

Cursing Tyranny

Episode #220: Elliott Prasse-Freeman, author of the recent book “Rights Refused,” joins the podcast for a wide-ranging, erudite discussion.Prasse-Freeman first distinguishes between two kinds of anti-...

20 Feb 20242h 16min

Hidden Ledgers (Emergency Edition)

Hidden Ledgers (Emergency Edition)

The Center for Advanced Defense Studies (C4ADS) in Washington DC leverages public data to uncover illicit activities linked to global security threats and human rights abuses. As our guest Savanna Sla...

16 Feb 20241h 5min

Revolt, Rebuild, Rebirth

Revolt, Rebuild, Rebirth

Episode #219: “The whole military is fragile. The military is collapsing,” says Kyaw Zaw, the spokesperson for the National Unity Government. “This is an unprecedented time, and a turning point in thi...

13 Feb 20241h 10min

Dhamma at a Cross Roads

Dhamma at a Cross Roads

Episode #218: Beth Upton, a former Buddhist nun who practiced extensively in Burma and has become an influential teacher in the West, returns to the podcast. She reflects on how the richness of Burmes...

9 Feb 20241h 11min

Bo Thanmani

Bo Thanmani

Episode #217: Bo Thanmani has emerged as a pivotal figure in the resistance against the military coup in Myanmar. Born into poverty as Tun Oo, he became a monk to access education, which led to Englis...

6 Feb 20242h 13min

The Blueprint of Resistance

The Blueprint of Resistance

Episode #216: Helena Cing Deih Sian explores the interaction of socio-historical context and urban spaces, emphasizing how history manifests in architecture and planning. Her work investigates the inf...

2 Feb 20241h 4min

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