PHOTOfrenz Blog

by Wong Casandra

The best part about travelling is that you get to see all sorts of different things for the first time. And for photographers, we not only get to see, but photograph foreign animals, landscapes and people for the first time at the same time. Call it a double dosage of ecstatic visual pleasure –overwhelming at times, but never boring.

So on to the second part of our journey: It was pretty much focused on covering the Esala Perahara at Kandy – a grand festival procession that was, for me, the highlight of the trip. Elephants, dancers, fire-twirlers, drummers and musicians performed with such vigour and passion, and it was exciting, and difficult at the same time, to translate these emotions into digital photography.

1. Chained for Life? Before the festival, we toured the temples and saw several restless elephants in chains. I snapped this picture thinking of how the freedom of the crow contrasted strongly with the elephant’s. And there’s the word, “litter”.	2. Blazing Fire-Twirling An onlooker (me) snapping another onlooker while the young fire-twirler in the background did his thing.
3. Standing Tall & Proud One of the performers stepped up and gamely posed for the photographers.	4. The Furor of Dancing The blur of the dancers against the strong standing figure of the fire-torcher… made for a pretty good shot!
5. Glorious Tusks! This will give you a rough idea of how close this magnificent elephant was to me.

After that, we dropped by tea plantations, another animal safari (where we spotted the elusive leopard), rice fields and eventually made our way back to Colombo. By this time, I was pretty much homesick and tired from having to change hotels almost every day.

6. Tea Gatherers Resting We surrounded these tea gatherers and snapped away as if they were celebrities.	7. Rice - Their Livelihood A shot of a single rice stalk in a sea of brilliant green.

Nonetheless, it was an unforgettable experience with unforgettable newfound friends, and I look forward to going on similar expeditions as such in the future. A few practical things that I have learned though: bring all sorts of medication, travel lightly, and wear comfortable, breathable clothes.

Overall, I was really proud of myself, as I had successfully “survived” my first overseas photography expedition. So, up next on my list of countries to visit and photograph: Myanmar or India!

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