Tea and temples

March 13, 2016August 18, 2019 / mikeosbornphoto / 32 Comments

A final visit to the island of Sri Lanka, a country packed with beautiful natural scenery, welcoming people and a beguiling culture. It was rarely difficult to find something to photograph – in fact at times there was an overwhelming amount to catch the eye.

This collection includes the Tooth Relic Temple in the city of Kandy, Wadduwa beach, the nearby village of Thalapitiya and the immaculately manicured Mackwoods tea plantation high in the central hills. You simply have to go – and make sure you’re armed with your camera.

Click first image to view the collection

The islanders

February 21, 2016April 25, 2021 / mikeosbornphoto / 14 Comments

The island of Sri Lanka is a country of great natural beauty. But it also bristles with life and people, particularly in its bustling cities and towns. During my recent trip, I found my camera turning towards its people. Some of them I met and asked to take their photographs, sending them copies of their portraits when I returned home.

There was Lala, a pleasant, polite man who showed me the local village and Mr Silva the sarong seller who looks careworn in his picture, but waved and smiled at me after our encounter. I didn’t meet the lady in white seen on Kandy’s main street – but she seemed to gaze straight into the lens.

Other Sri Lankans were observed and captured from a greater distance, while there was no shortage of street and crowd scenes on a busy festival day in Kandy. Sri Lanka also boasts a wide variety of animal life, from cheeky monkeys to a docile cow who watched the sunset on the beach and then lumbered away. Faces become even more fascinating when they’re less familiar…

Click first image to launch the gallery

Sri Lankan scenes

January 31, 2016July 30, 2019 / mikeosbornphoto / 21 Comments

The island of Sri Lanka nestles in the warmth of the Indian ocean, right at the foot of the mighty subcontinent. While India is vast and populous, little Sri Lanka has a modest population of some 20 million people. Its urban areas are full of colourful hustle and bustle, and its countryside packs a magnificent punch. It boasts a coastline which is idyllic and palm-fringed, with an interior both wildly rugged and beautifully stitched with delicate tea plantations.