Timeless Pettah

A naattami hauls his heavily laden cart across Gas Works Junction, in September 2020. Centre left is the Old Town Hall, built in the neo-Gothic style by the British colonial government in 1873. It is now used by the Colombo Fire Brigade. In the distance are the minarets of the Jami Ul-Alfar Masjid, or Red Mosque, towering over Main Street.

^{*shot on an M6MkII & EFM15-45mm/3.5-5.6, courtesy Canon/Metropolitan.}

“Tickets, Please!” #2

The entrance hall of the Victorian-style Maradana Railway Station. Built in 1908, Maradana is Colombo’s second-oldest operational railway station. Shot on assignment for Serendib, in which my story, ‘A Visit to the Maradana Railway Station‘, one of the few almost completely black and white features published by that travel magazine, ran in June 2017.

No Imports, Bogambara Prison, Sri Lanka

A hand-lettered sign over the main door of the old Bogambara Prison lists, in three languages, the goods that may not be brought into the prison by visitors, including alcohol, tobacco, opium, and mail. Shot on assignment for Ashraff Associates and The Radh, Kandy in October 2018.

The Religion

The Meeran Jumma Masjid, in the Galle Fort, Sri Lanka, built in 1904 in the style of a Portuguese Baroque cathedral. January, 2014, with a quote from one of my favourite novels; Tim Willocks’ “The Religion.”

Morning on the Ramparts #7

A panoramic view of Galle Bay, with the harbour in the far distance, from the Moon Bastion of the Galle Fort. In the foreground are the northern ramparts, stretching away to the Sun Bastion which overlooks the bay.

In the Shade of History

The trees of Colombo are gigantic and ancient, many over a century old, planted next to quieter narrower avenues that have become the bustling thoroughfares of today. A fair number have fallen to storms, urban development, and the broadening of the city streets, but the trees in the grounds of the Colombo national Museum — most likely predating the building’s inauguration of 1877 — stand as they were intended, each one a haven of shade from the tropical sun, giving visitors to the museum a place to catch a moment of reflection after their tour of history. Shot on assignment for Serendib magazine, as part of my photo story on the museum, “Katu Ge“, which ran in the October 2017 issue.

The House of Bones

Hall 12, housing the Arts & Crafts section, is in one of the oldest portions of the building, built in 1876. Shot on assignment for Serendib, the inflight magazine of Sri Lankan Airlines. My photo-story on the museum, ‘Katu Ge‘, runs in the October 2017 issue. Check it out when you fly Sri Lankan this month, or follow the link to see an online version.

A Million Footsteps

The recently renovated stairs connecting the broad centre platform of the Maradana Railway Station to the wood and iron pedestrian walkway above. Shot on assignment for Serendib magazine. My story, ‘A Visit to the Maradana Railway Station‘, ran in the June 2017 issue.

The English Graves

Or, in this case, mostly Scottish. Shot on assignment for Serendib magazine, as part of my story, ‘The Nuwara Eliya Season in Spring‘, which ran in the April 2017 issue.

Nuwara Eliya Post Office, Sri Lanka

The mock-Tudor Post Office Building in Nuwara Eliya, in the Central Highlands of Sri Lanka, was built by the British in 1894. Considered a heritage building, the post office sees as many tourists today as it does customers, and rumours that it is to be converted into a hotel have sparked protests by some nationalist groups. Shot on assignment for Serendib, as part of my story, ‘The Nuwara Eliya Season in Spring‘, which ran in the April 2017 issue.