The Fishmonger and the Joker

Oddamavadi, Sri Lanka. October 2023.

^{• 35mm • f/4 • 1/125 • ISO100 • Canon R6 & RF14-35/4L •}

On the Nose, and on the Tongue

Fragrance and flavour mix in the morning air in Pettah. A spice store worker on 4th Cross Street purifies the premises with incense before beginning the business day. The ritual, repeated in the evening, is both practical – to keep away insects – and symbolic – to ward off evil and invoke spiritual blessings. Colombo, November 2023.

^{• 28mm • f/2 • 1/500 • ISO100 • Canon R6, with an RF28-70/2L from Canon/Metropolitan •}

Businesswomen, Maharagama, Sri Lanka

Vendors with their wares in the Maharagama textile bazaar, south of Sri Lanka’s capital, Colombo. April 2018.

The Shoe Salesman

Prince Street, Pettah, in Sri Lanka’s capital, Colombo. January 2020.

Teatime at the FOSE Market, Pettah

A fruit vendor takes his morning tea break on the job at the Federation of Self-Employees (FOSE) Market in the Pettah area of Sri Lanka’s capital, Colombo. January 2020.

Product Samples, Keyzer Street

A grain wholesaler in the Keyzer Street Market, Pettah, displays samples of his goods to prospective customers. Colombo, Sri Lanka, April 2018.

Businessmen, Maharagama, Sri Lanka

April 2018.

Sales Across the Tracks

Stalls selling clothes and textiles sprawl along the Pamunuwa Road in Maharagama; even spilling onto the railway tracks of the busy Kelani Valley Line which runs from Colombo to Avissawella. The massive textile bazaar that stretches from Maharagama to Pamunuwa is one of Sri Lanka’s biggest centers for cheap clothes and, during the run up to religious festivals, sees a huge number of retail shoppers, in addition to the regular wholesale customers. During these times, space is at a premium, and many small businessmen just run out of space. Sri Lanka, April 2018.

Textile Salesman, Maharagama, Sri Lanka #4

The textile bazaar that stretches almost 2km, from Maharagama to Pamununuwa, just southeast of Colombo, is a highly competitive place, with hundreds of tiny shops and stalls vying with each other for the throngs of customers who visit each day. This salesman’s job is to sing, dance, and shout to passing people, extolling the quality and value of the wares inside one of the little shops. When he saw me, he popped back into the shop and reappeared in wig and sunglasses to ham it up for the camera. Sri Lanka, April 2018.

Shaka at the Old Town Hall

Fruit vendor, Gas Works Junction, Pettah, Colombo, Sri Lanka. September 2018.