Sri Lanka – People
As ever the best guide to the heart of a country for me is in the faces and particularly the eyes of its people. Sri Lanka is remarkably similar to Cambodia and Vietnam in that unspeakable horrors took place in the lifetime of a large part of the population. This was particularly true in Jaffna and the north, but the whole country experienced similar levels of brutality in the insurrections of 1971 and 1987 of the Marxist JVP party.
In addition to this, people in Sri Lanka often have hard lives, and the combination of all these experiences make their faces infinitely more interesting than the bland, overfed, smug slices of bread evident in the faces on most European city streets.
These photos were taken in Colombo, Jaffna, and Galle, and are mostly street portraits, revealing something I hope about the dignity and basic beauty of the Sri Lankan people. There are more images than I would normally include in an album, but I cannot find a way to make an even split without losing something essential.
Photographs in this album include: The papal rep cometh, Around the Jaffna Bus station, Kokuvil Vegetable Market, On the boat to Nainathivum, Train coming — track not finished, Fishermen in Kalamatiya lagoon, Galle fish market, The angry fishmonger, Around Galle, and more.
▸ Technical data — all 57 images
| Image |
Camera |
FL |
f/ |
Shutter |
ISO |
GPS |
| The papal rep cometh | OM-3 | 140mm | f/5.6 | 1/100s | 100 | — |
| The papal rep cometh | OM-3 | 140mm | f/5.6 | 1/100s | 80 | 6.9206°N, 79.8461°E |
| The papal rep cometh | OM-3 | 40mm | f/4.7 | 1/100s | 640 | 6.9206°N, 79.8461°E |
| The papal rep cometh | OM-3 | 109mm | f/10.0 | 1/100s | 250 | 6.9206°N, 79.8461°E |
| The papal rep cometh | OM-3 | 140mm | f/5.6 | 1/100s | 80 | 6.9206°N, 79.8461°E |
| The papal rep cometh | OM-3 | 140mm | f/5.6 | 1/100s | 640 | 6.9206°N, 79.8461°E |
| The papal rep cometh | OM-3 | 88mm | f/5.6 | 1/100s | 1600 | 6.9206°N, 79.8461°E |
| The papal rep cometh | OM-3 | 140mm | f/5.6 | 1/100s | 800 | 6.9206°N, 79.8461°E |
| Around the Jaffna Bus station | OM-3 | 109mm | f/5.4 | 1/250s | 3200 | 9.6620°N, 80.0072°E |
| Around the Jaffna Bus station | OM-3 | 109mm | f/5.4 | 1/250s | 2000 | 9.6620°N, 80.0072°E |
| Around the Jaffna Bus station | OM-3 | 109mm | f/5.4 | 1/250s | 3200 | 9.6620°N, 80.0072°E |
| Around the Jaffna Bus station | OM-3 | 140mm | f/5.6 | 1/250s | 3200 | 9.6620°N, 80.0072°E |
| Around the Jaffna Bus station | OM-3 | 140mm | f/5.6 | 1/250s | 3200 | 9.6620°N, 80.0072°E |
| Around the Jaffna Bus station | OM-3 | 109mm | f/5.4 | 1/250s | 5000 | 9.6620°N, 80.0072°E |
| Around the Jaffna Bus station | OM-3 | 109mm | f/5.4 | 1/250s | 6400 | 9.6620°N, 80.0072°E |
| Around the Jaffna Bus station | OM-3 | 140mm | f/5.6 | 1/250s | 6400 | 9.6620°N, 80.0072°E |
| Around the Jaffna Bus station | OM-3 | 140mm | f/5.6 | 1/200s | 3200 | 9.6620°N, 80.0072°E |
| Around the Jaffna Bus station | OM-3 | 140mm | f/5.6 | 1/250s | 6400 | 9.6620°N, 80.0072°E |
| Around the Jaffna Bus station | OM-3 | 140mm | f/5.6 | 1/200s | 6400 | 9.6620°N, 80.0072°E |
| Kokuvil Vegetable Market | OM-3 | 109mm | f/5.4 | 1/250s | 6400 | 9.6950°N, 80.0139°E |
| Kokuvil Vegetable Market | OM-3 | 109mm | f/5.4 | 1/250s | 5000 | 9.6950°N, 80.0139°E |
| Kokuvil Vegetable Market | OM-3 | 109mm | f/5.4 | 1/200s | 6400 | 9.6950°N, 80.0139°E |
| Kokuvil Vegetable Market | OM-3 | 140mm | f/5.6 | 1/200s | 6400 | 9.6950°N, 80.0139°E |
| On the boat to Nainathivum | OM-3 | 140mm | f/5.6 | 1/250s | 80 | 9.5972°N, 79.7925°E |
| On the boat to Nainathivum | OM-3 | 77mm | f/5.4 | 1/4000s | 4000 | 9.5972°N, 79.7925°E |
| On the boat to Nainathivum | OM-3 | 77mm | f/5.4 | 1/320s | 500 | 9.5972°N, 79.7925°E |
| On the boat to Nainathivum | OM-3 | 140mm | f/5.6 | 1/1000s | 80 | 9.5972°N, 79.7925°E |
| On the boat to Nainathivum | OM-3 | 140mm | f/5.6 | 1/250s | 80 | 9.5972°N, 79.7925°E |
| Train coming — track not finished | OM-3 | 109mm | f/5.4 | 1/1000s | 80 | 9.6500°N, 80.0220°E |
| Train coming — track not finished | OM-3 | 109mm | f/5.4 | 1/1000s | 80 | 9.6500°N, 80.0220°E |
| Train coming — track not finished | OM-3 | 109mm | f/5.4 | 1/2000s | 80 | 9.6500°N, 80.0220°E |
| Fishermen in Kalamatiya lagoon | OM-3 | 140mm | f/5.6 | 1/2000s | 80 | 6.0500°N, 80.8000°E |
| Fishermen in Kalamatiya lagoon | OM-3 | 140mm | f/5.6 | 1/1600s | 80 | 6.0500°N, 80.8000°E |
| Fishermen in Kalamatiya lagoon | OM-3 | 140mm | f/5.6 | 1/1600s | 80 | 6.0500°N, 80.8000°E |
| Fishermen in Kalamatiya lagoon | OM-3 | 140mm | f/5.6 | 1/1600s | 80 | 6.0500°N, 80.8000°E |
| Fishermen in Kalamatiya lagoon | OM-3 | 140mm | f/5.6 | 1/2000s | 80 | 6.0500°N, 80.8000°E |
| Galle fish market | OM-3 | 140mm | f/5.6 | 1/320s | 800 | 6.0286°N, 80.2178°E |
| Galle fish market | OM-3 | 46mm | f/4.9 | 1/320s | 800 | 6.0286°N, 80.2178°E |
| Galle fish market | OM-3 | 140mm | f/5.6 | 1/250s | 800 | 6.0286°N, 80.2178°E |
| Galle fish market | OM-3 | 140mm | f/5.6 | 1/250s | 800 | 6.0286°N, 80.2178°E |
| Galle fish market | OM-3 | 65mm | f/5.3 | 1/250s | 800 | 6.0286°N, 80.2178°E |
| Galle fish market | OM-3 | 140mm | f/5.6 | 1/250s | 800 | 6.0286°N, 80.2178°E |
| Galle fish market | OM-3 | 65mm | f/5.3 | 1/320s | 800 | 6.0286°N, 80.2178°E |
| Galle fish market | OM-3 | 140mm | f/5.6 | 1/250s | 800 | 6.0286°N, 80.2178°E |
| Galle fish market | OM-3 | 109mm | f/5.4 | 1/250s | 800 | 6.0286°N, 80.2178°E |
| Galle fish market | OM-3 | 140mm | f/5.6 | 1/250s | 800 | 6.0286°N, 80.2178°E |
| The angry fishmonger | OM-3 | 140mm | f/5.6 | 1/250s | 800 | 6.0286°N, 80.2178°E |
| The angry fishmonger | OM-3 | 140mm | f/5.6 | 1/250s | 800 | 6.0286°N, 80.2178°E |
| The angry fishmonger | OM-3 | 140mm | f/5.6 | 1/320s | 800 | 6.0286°N, 80.2178°E |
| Around Galle | OM-3 | 109mm | f/5.4 | 1/250s | 200 | 6.0286°N, 80.2178°E |
| Around Galle | OM-3 | 109mm | f/5.4 | 1/320s | 200 | 6.0286°N, 80.2178°E |
| Around Galle | OM-3 | 140mm | f/5.6 | 1/160s | 200 | 6.0286°N, 80.2178°E |
| Around Galle | OM-3 | 140mm | f/5.6 | 1/160s | 200 | 6.0286°N, 80.2178°E |
| Around Galle | OM-3 | 140mm | f/5.6 | 1/160s | 200 | 6.0286°N, 80.2178°E |
| Around Galle | OM-3 | 140mm | f/5.6 | 1/160s | 200 | 6.0286°N, 80.2178°E |
View the full album at mcaughtry.photo/albums/sri-lanka-people. Touch or click any image to open a lightbox view; tap the full-screen icon for the best experience. Click the “i” icon beneath any thumbnail for full EXIF data and location information for that image.
