In 1978, Chan Chao migrated with his parents to the Washington, DC area from Burma, which had been under isolationist military control since 1962. In 1988, student-led uprisings against that regime ended in violence and mass displacement of its people as a new military government seized power. When Chao turned thirty in 1996, he felt compelled to return to Burma but was denied a visa. He traveled instead to neighboring Thailand and India and then crossed their borders illegally to visit camps populated by students and monks who had participated in the resistance. Chao produced portraits of the people he met. He was candid with his subjects, telling them that their pictures might be seen publicly— a profound risk given their rebel status, but also an opportunity to represent their cause to others. To establish trust and a sense of shared authorship in the process of creating the portrait, Chao encouraged his subjects to consider the question: “How would you like people to see you?” This young Buddhist monk in saffron robes responds with an uncompromising expression and a posture that suggests stability, strength, and stillness.