photography by wasim.

Tag: travel photography

3 Weeks In Sri Lanka – Part 6 : The Solo Journey Continues. Next Stop: Kandy – The Cultural Capital Of Sri Lanka

So this was it. I had 3 more days left before I had to make my way back to Colombo and begin my 36 hour journey back to U.S. soil. I had two choices…I can head down to the beach and just marinate for a few days, or I can continue the cerebral stimulation and head to Kandy, “The Cultural Capital of Sri Lanka.” Against most of humanity’s better judgement, I chose the latter.

To get there from Nuwara Eliya, I had to bid farewell to the gorgeous valley of the tea, tuk-tuk down to the Nanuoya train station 8 miles down the road, and find myself a seat. This turned out to be one of the most beautiful train rides I’ve ever been on. We started and ended by slowly snaking our way through 90 miles of the same lush green tea-infused hillsides we drove up to get here, only this time, we were away from the people and the commerce-driven hustle bustle of the road that led up and down the mountain. This time, we hugged the mountainsides as we periodically rolled through tiny track-side villages, many of which consisted of nothing more than 5 or 6 small structures and a store. This is a train ride I think should be added to just about everyone’s bucket list. It was that stunning.

Kandy is quite significant on so many levels to the history and present of Sri Lanka. It served as the last capital of the ancient kings era in Sri Lanka, and, among some of Buddhism and Hindu’s holiest sites, houses the Temple of the Tooth, an enormous and religiously significant temple in the Buddhist faith. Additionally, Kandy, the second largest city in Sri Lanka behind Colombo, serves as a major and important commerce route linking all quadrants of the country, not surprisingly, playing a major role and hub for operations during the 3- year civil war I spoke of in the first few parts of this series. Since then, they’ve put a major focus on tolerance and integration amongst populations, from the Buddhist population to the Hindu population to the Muslim population, Singhalese and Tamil alike, with wonderfully vibrant charming results. While the population of Kandy is listed at about 120,000, it truly feels like a much smaller, quaint town, much of which has to do with its topography – pockets hidden and tucked into hillsides and valleys.

I rolled into town in the early afternoon, got a hold of my host in Kandy, another Airbnb reservation, and another one that I got super lucky with. I landed a spot in Alex Home Stay. The reviews were off the charts, so I wasn’t sure I’d get in, but I was fortunate enough to catch him during an open window. Not only did I have my own entire apartment in the hills just above the town, but Alex, who lived upstairs, was also a certified tour guide in Sri Lanka, so he was able to put together an itinerary for me based on what I wanted to see and do. I got in early enough to have a full afternoon and night in which he led me right. I took a tuk-tuk downtown, had my driver find me a Muslim jewerly shop (apparently that’s where you’ll get the best currency exchange rates), and then drop me off right in front of The Temple of the Tooth. The Temple of the Tooth, a World Heritage Site, and one of the holiest places in the world for Buddhists, is perhaps best known for housing one of Buddhas teeth in a shrine in the center of the temple.

I walked onto the opulent grounds and as I crossed the bridge over the moat and into the compound, immediately felt a calmness come across me. I was instinctually possessed to be quiet, aware, and introspective, a feeling that was only magnified as I walked into the temple and up the stairs that led to the shrine. It was filled to the brim Buddhist devotees sitting on the ground throughout the room, all chanting in unison, led by a monk dressed in traditional orange robes at the center of the room facing the shrine, which was shroud with lotus flowers covering the color spectrum.

I was here.

This was happening.

I was part of it.

So for a few moments I could call my own, I sat down and just listened. It wasn’t long before I found myself entranced and almost hypnotically chanting along with them. I won’t lie, there was something there, an energy, something I wasn’t quite used to, and I know this might sound contradictory, but I don’t know how else to put it…I freaked out a bit at how calming it was. This struck me enough to get a sudden twinge of anxiety, leading me outside of the room. It was a bizarre feeling, one I still can’t describe, but I’m fairly certain it had a lot to do with the inexplainable discomfort of facing yourself upon finding yourself suddenly vulnerable in a completely unfamiliar environment. I wasn’t ready for that. And looking back, I now wish I had stayed and worked my way through those feelings to see what was on the other side.

In any case, I spent the next hour or so meandering through the rest of the grounds, which included everything from the Sri Dalada Museum, which explained the story of the tooth relic through pictures and ancient scrolls, imagery, and statues. Apparently he who holds the sacred tooth relic, which was fought over for centuries, holds the governance of the land. I also got to check out the outlying gardens which played host to a glass room full of prayer candles, in which an endless stream of devotees walked in, lit their candles, made their offerings, and quietly prayed before making their way out.

After this, I found myself walking on the other side of the temple, where I heard dancing and music and drums, and as I followed them, found an old Red Cross building that was hosting a Kandyan dance, essentially a traditional Sri Lankan dance recital. This I could not pass up. It had just started so I bought myself a ticket and walked in to a packed house and balcony watching this display, not unlike what you’d see at a traditional Hawaiian luau, but with the story, dance, costume, and garb illustrating Sri Lankan history. The recital is performed to percussion only, and through costumes depicting different animals, tells the story of shamans that came to cure the king of a mysterious illness caused by black magic of the king’s first wife.

After this 90 minute show, I figured it was time to call it a night as I had a long day ahead of me, for tomorrow, I’d be heading deeper into the hills to see something I could not leave Sri Lanka without seeing…elephants!

To see those magnificent beasts, click here for 3 Weeks In Sri Lanka – Part 7 : The Solo Journey Continues – The Elephants & The Elements , & The Shoulder of Buddha. Or you can always sign up on the right with your email address and I’ll send each new post directly to your inbox.

For now, below is a gallery from that first day in Kandy. Click on any one of them and it’ll open a lightbox slideshow.

If you missed the beginnings of this journey, be sure to start off with 3 Weeks In Sri Lanka – Part 1 : The Most Meaningful Work I’ve Ever Done.

And if you needs you some more wanna wannas, there’s always:
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All images and videos for this series of blog posts were shot with a Samsung NX1.

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May 27, 2015
I’ve Finally Assembled My Perfect Hiking And Backpacking Camera Kit

If you’ve ever gone on an extended hike or backpacking trip, you know that every single ounce of weight counts. An extra strip of beef jerky may not seem like a lot sitting in your pocket at home, but you WILL notice and feel every single gram of it as the sun-scorched miles move beneath your boots. So when you’re packing for such a trip, weight and consideration and bare essentials are a constantly compromised necessity, and, obviously, for photographers, food and clean socks come in a distant second to camera gear. Lucky for us photographers, the new breed of mirrorless systems has changed EVERYTHING. Gone are the days of having to trudge 10-15 pounds of DSLR gear and lenses to get solid professional high-quality images. Now you can make top-shelf images AND pack an entire bag of beef jerky.
As I prepared to pack for a 5-day, 45-mile backpacking excursion into the Sierras, I was absolutely thrilled at how much lighter my pack already was since last year’s adventures through 3 National Parks, and especially the year before that, when I lugged around that same full Nikon D7000 kit through 22, 104-degree Grand Canyon miles on the way into Havasupai, Arizona. Ouch. Ouch. OUCH! While, unfortunately, this month’s Sierra backpacking trip got cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances in the group, I still thought it’d be valuable to share what I had already packed and was prepared to take.

First, here’s the bulk of the Nikon D7000 kit that I had with me both for the Havasupai trip and for the National Park trip. Basically, the kit I’ve been used to traveling with:

Nikon D7000 Body (APSC CMOS Sensor): 1 lb, 8 oz.

Nikkor 18-200 Lens: 1 lb, 4 oz.

Nikkor 35mm Lens: 7 oz.

Tokina 11-16mm Lens: 1.2 lbs

Manfrotto 190xb Tripod with Manfrotto 486RC2 Ballhead: 5 pounds

Filters, Filter Holders, Extra batteries, USB charging brick: 1 pound

TOTAL: 10.5 LBS.

Now, for comparison’s sakes, here’s what I had packed this time:

Samsung NX30 Body (APSC CMOS Sensor): .8 pound

Samsung NX3000 Body (APSC CMOS Sensor): .5 pound

Samsung 18-200mm lens: 1.27 pounds

Samsung 12-24mm lens: 7.3 oz

Dolica TX570B150SL Travel Tripod: 2.5 pounds

Filters, filter holders, extra batteries, USB charging brick: 10 oz.

TOTAL: 6.1 LBS.

And here they are side by side, with the respective lenses mirroring each other. Look at the size differences alone in the Samsung kit on the bottom row versus the Nikon kit on the top row, especially in the lenses and the bodies:

So as you can see, that is not only literally a savings of almost half the weight, but it also includes AN EXTRA CAMERA BODY. Heck, both camera bodies together weighed less than the single DSLR. Granted, the tripod alone also saved me 2.5 pounds on it’s own. So yeah, needless to say, between this revelation, and my recent mirrorless-only trip to the Pacific Northwest, my DSLR traveling days are well behind me. Add the benefit of bright OLED displays and Wifi capabilities on the Samsung NX30 and Samsung NX300, allowing me to use my phone as a trigger or high res monitor as well, and there’s really no reason left to go back.

Adapt or die…or, at the very best, adapt or suffer through a bad back…orrrrr better yet…suffer through that bad back by packing an extra 4 pounds of jerky!

Mmmm…jerky…

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August 19, 2014
A Small Gesture Goes A Long Way – The Power Of (Baby) Photography

A few months back, I was on a photo trip up north in the Pacific Northwest and it was incredible. I’m sure you’ve already heard me gush enough about it. Anyhow, our hosts were friends of the guy that hired me, who not only graciously allowed us to commandeer their home for a week, but also one of their cars. They were some of the warmest, most hospitable people I’ve ever met and it was incredible how they were immediately able to diffuse any anxieties about staying with strangers.

One night after a string of a particularly long few days of shooting out in the field – the stunning forests and mountains landscapes and waterways of Washington and Oregon – we decided to take an afternoon off, take ‘er easy and hang out at the house with the hosts that took us in. Because we were there earlier than usual that afternoon, we got to spend some quality time not only with the host couple, but their gorgeous 3-year old daughter. We watched bits of “Frozen” (over and over and over and over and over again…), we sang songs, and, not surprisingly, we got silly with the camera.

While she was shy at first, it didn’t take much to warm her up to the lens (when in doubt, always revert to the Frozen soundtrack…over and over and over and over again…). Anyhow, through this process and impromptu baby photography session, I managed to snap a few images I found completely adorable.

Later on that evening as the family stuffs was winding down, I found some time to sit and process images from the day, and instead of the job we were there for, I decided to process a few of the images of their daughter. After I got 3 or 4 of them I was happy with, I posted them on Facebook to the parents’ pages and emailed them high resolution copies, and when they saw them, they damn near melted. It was beautiful. It instantly added another level of human connection, warmth, and appreciation to the relationship.

Thing is, it wasn’t even planned that way. But it panned out that way – all due to circumstance and embracing a moment. And because of that, I learned yet another valuable lesson that I can take with me along my photographic journey:

A small spontaneous gesture can go a long long way.

To me, it was nothing, I love making images, so when there’s a compelling subject in front of me, I can’t help it. Whether or not I was ever able to share those images with anyone was besides the fact, I just simply enjoy the process of making a simple photograph.

But in some situations more than others, you are reminded of what a raw, engaging, emotional gift a ‘simple’ photograph can be. While many other artistic mediums all have their merits and their strengths, many, I might add, of which I’m particularly envious of, photography remains the only one, practically by definition, in which it is even remotely possible to capture an eternal visual reminder of a single moment.

One single standout moment.

One that you shared with someone else.

One that you both existed in,

when there was nothing else.

Gagagoogoo.

All images were taken using a Samsung NX30
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July 11, 2014
6 Travel Photography Lessons Learned On My Recent Trip To The Pacific Northwest

So as many of you know, I embarked on a nature and travel photography trip this past Spring to the Pacific Northwest, and I’ve shared all those pictures here and all my social outlets. This so happened to be my first photo trip in which I left the DSLR behind and employed mirrorless cameras exclusively, namely, the Samsung NX30. While this post will forgo all the reasons behind that (click here if you want to see those posts of that journey), now that the dust has settled and some time has passed, I’ve been able to reflect a bit on the incredible experience, which has proven to be a personal milestone in many ways in my photographic journey. So I figured I’d take this opportunity to share with you a few of the lessons I learned on that trip:

1. Make A List – It always seems like a good idea to make a list of the shots and images you’d like to come back with. When you’re planning for a trip, especially if it’s somewhere you’ve never been, it would do you good to do a bit of research, whether you Google the location, or visit sites like 500px and Google Plus to search for images from that location. It’ll give you a great idea of what to expect, what to look for, how the weather can alter the look of the images, what you like, what you don’t.

2. Throw That List Out – The main reason for me making that list was basically to get it out of my system. It’s almost like pre-visualizing a conversation with someone – it’s impossible, and more often than not, it doesn’t go at ALL the way you had it in your head. It’s great to have the ideas and a foundation in your head to work from, but once you’re on location, your eye is going to dart around and see things you never planned for. And this is a good thing. I mean, do you really want to return with the same images you already saw all over those sites? Really?

3. Work It – Never EVER settle on the first shot or angle. In other words, yes, trust your eye in the sense that something made you stop and look. Something was behind whatever it was that caught your attention. And sure, stop, set up, take the shot. Indulge. But no joke, every time I found myself in front of something that caught my attention for whatever reason, it was NEVER the first shot that I took that ended up being my favorite. I ducked, dodged, leaned in, got on the ground, climbed a tree, switched positions, got behind bushes, wrestled with spider webs, balanced on an unbalanced rock, everything I could to make whatever it was that caught my eye even more attention grabbing. Sometimes you don’t have the luxury of time on your side, but in most cases, if you can find time to snap one shot, you can usually find time to try at least try 2 or 3 different angles or approaches. If you’re with people that get annoyed by your practicing your ‘art,’ surprise them later with a beer at dinner. You’ll see how quickly they get over it.

4. Marinate – Let the images come to you. Just because I’m somewhere with a camera does not mean I need to make a picture. As a matter of fact, it was when I just sat back and soaked in my environments that I was truly able to get the best feel for the location we were in. Sure, I’ll usually spend the first few minutes antsier than a flock of fleas, but once that part passes, you almost get into a meditative, relaxed state in which your mind goes out of its way to tell you ‘it’s ok.’ And you can’t help but agree. It is OK. The tree canopy above ended up being one of my favorite images from the entire trip and this wouldn’t have happened if I didn’t take a break, put down my camera, and take a mini-catnap on a picnic bench in the middle of the forest.

5. Have Fun! – Don’t forget why you’re doing this to begin with – fun. Don’t lose sight of that. You’ll get caught up in it and at times frustration will set in and it’ll feel like the world revolves around that very shot or not getting it right or why can’t I get this? Well, it doesn’t. The world truly doesn’t give a hot nor a cold damn. It’s just you. Only you. No one else but you. After all, no one, other than yourself, even knows that image doesn’t exist yet because, well, it doesn’t! So you’re literally stressing out over nothing. Literally. Stop, breath, meditate on the mantra ‘have fun’ for a few minutes. After all, who the hell wants to work?

6. Details! Don’t forget the details! It’s easy to get overwhelmed by big scenes and subjects, especially if it’s your first time around them. Instinct seems to dictate to try to capture on your sensor as much of that scenes as possible. I want the river with the trees with the mountains with the rock with the acorns with the elk with the other tree and oh…oh…oh…that barn! Oh that barn!! Well, that’s all fine and dandy, and, as expressed in tip #3, shoot it! But don’t settle on that. Now that you got that off your shoulders, get creative. Move in, focus just on the details. If I got that shot as described above, chances are high that once you (or someone else) viewed the image, you wouldn’t know where to rest your eyes. If you just get the elk next to the barn, or the river with the tree, or the hinges on the barn door, the focal points become much clearer, providing a much more pleasant, and imagination-inducing viewing experience. A great example is the fern in the image above. It was surrounded by a picture perfect waterfall and a cave and a cliff and gorgeous moss-covered trees, but once it came down to it, it was the fern that really had my attention, so once I focused solely on that, I was happy with the shot. The rest of it came in a different shot, the one on the right, which, again, focused on the detail of the moss covered tree and the waterfall behind it.

So I hope you were able to get something out of this. It all might seem like common sense, but once you’re out in the field, especially in unfamiliar locations, every single one of your six senses (yup, six, I’m one of those guys) hits overdrive and all common sense is typically thrown out the window bit by byte. But if you just focus on these six things, Make A List, Throw That List Out, Work It, Relax, Have Fun, and Details, you’re bound to come back with several keepers that you’ll be proud to share.

Feel free to share your experiences below and what works for you and what doesn’t.

For more of my madness:
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July 1, 2014