I See Trouble on the Way August 31, 2022August 30, 2022 David BlackerLeave a comment Ward 1, Kalubowila Hospital. August 2022.
The Writer August 29, 2022August 29, 2022 David BlackerLeave a comment When I remember my father, this is the image of him that is most clear in my mind’s eye; of him, hunched over his desk, his typewriter, a notepad, or random scraps of paper that he carefully cut out of previously used sheets, saving the unused spaces that he would later fill with his small neat writing. He would write at all hours; late into the night, preparing Sunday sermons; and at dawn, making notes from his endless examination of Bible commentaries. And he would write everywhere, constantly jotting down reminders to himself about things only he knew. Even after his typewriter was replaced by a computer, his only concession to the digital world was that he condescended to dictate his handwritten notes to my mother, who would type them into the ether. I took this picture almost ten years ago, on Christmas Day, after lunch. I don’t know what he was writing, but the pose is unmistakeable. Though my father never wrote a book in his life, he seemed to never stop writing; even after retirement. It was as if he knew that it was soon to be taken away. When illness deprived him of the ability to read and write, I took it upon myself to organise his desk and store away many of his books and papers, and I found his study packed with his penmanship. There were notes for Bible study groups, random mini-reviews and recommendations of books he had read, an eulogy to some unknown friend. And scores of letters to my mother, sent from all over the world during his many travels; tight lines crammed onto flimsy aerogrammes, postmarked from Switzerland and Ecuador, America and India, England and Cyprus. Many of these too had been written whenever he had a moment to spare, in airports and on trains. Writing seemed to fill the crevices of my father’s world. He now leaves a crack in mine no writing can seem to fill. • 18mm • f/3.5 • 1/640 • ISO200 •
Taking a Break in Kandy September 25, 2019June 11, 2020 David BlackerLeave a comment Shermaine Willis and Anuradha Perera, shot on the streets of Kandy, Sri Lanka, for Ashraff Associates and The Radh, Kandy, in October 2018. Continue reading “Taking a Break in Kandy” →
The Carrot Man December 7, 2018June 22, 2020 David BlackerLeave a comment Manning Market, Colombo, Sri Lanka. April 2018.
No Smoking while You Wait February 28, 2018June 30, 2020 David BlackerLeave a comment Koralawalla Railway Station, Moratuwa, Sri Lanka. September 2017.
Prayer Niches July 5, 2017July 18, 2020 David BlackerLeave a comment The Aluvihare Rock Temple, Matale, Sri Lanka. May 2017.
Faces on Pedlar Street #3 May 2, 2017July 28, 2020 David BlackerLeave a comment Galle Fort, Sri Lanka. March 2017.
Worms Hbf April 26, 2017July 28, 2020 David BlackerLeave a comment The Fürstenpavillon, or Prince’s Pavilion; part of the Worms Hauptbahnhof, or main railway station. While the station is the third one built on the site, in 1903, the pavilion dates to earlier constructions from the 19th century. Germany, spring 2017.
Burg Thurant, Alken, Germany April 15, 2017October 13, 2021 David BlackerLeave a comment The 13th century Thurant Castle, in the Moselle Valley, Germany. Spring 2017. Much of the original buildings were destroyed in the 16th century War of the Palatine Succession, and were rebuilt and restored in the early 20th century. The castle was hit by a single American 155mm ‘Long Tom’ shell two days before the end of World War II.
Sharon #89 April 8, 2017July 29, 2020 David Blacker2 Comments Colombo, Sri Lanka. June 2016. Continue reading “Sharon #89” →