Rock Carving of Maithri Bodhisathva - Buduruwagala, Sri LankaBuduruwagala was one of several stops I made on my way to Arugam Bay in July. The area is known for an archeological site located in the middle of the jungle relatively close to the town. The main features of the site are the seven figures that have been carved into the ...

Common Sailor (Neptis hylas) - Thalangama, Sri LankaThe wetlands in Thalangama are best known for the bird life around the marshes but they are also home to a large number of butterflies. I have seen and photographed the Common Sailor (Neptis hylas) at Thalangama on numerous occasions but, for some reason, never got around to posting them on the blog.More ...

The Coppersmith Barbet - Anuradhapura, Sri LankaOf the resident Barbets of Sri Lanka, I have found the Coppersmith, or Crimson-breasted Barbet (Megalaima haemacephala), the hardest to photograph. I had seen the bird before but it had always been from a distance. Those sightings were not the best for photographing the Barbet as it is quite small.The Coppersmith Barbet - Anuradhapura, ...

Blue HydrangeasI'm pretty new to macro photography and I've got a fair bit to learn. The Hydrangeas are in bloom and since they make good macro subjects, I took the opportunity to practice a little. The hardest part of taking these photographs was the lighting.More photographs inside. Pink HydrangeasIn order to achieve a greater depth of field, relatively small apertures ...

Ceylon Small Barbet - Thalangama, Sri LankaI have photographed the Ceylon Small Barbet (Megalaima rubricapilla), also called the Crimson-fronted Barbet, on several occasions. I have found them in the garden at home in Colombo and they are abundant at our place in Kandy. However, on these occasions the birds were some distance away. More photographs inside. Ceylon Small Barbet - ...

Variegated Flutterer (male) - Thalangama, Sri LankaThe Variegated Fluterer (Rhyothemis variegata variegata) was one of several dragonflies I photographed while in Sri Lanka. They are relatively common and since they are found around ponds, paddy fields and tanks, Thalangama is an ideal location to photograph them. It is also known as the Common Picture Wing.More photographs after the jump.Variegated Flutterer ...

Thanthirimale - Anuradhapura, Sri LankaThanthirimale is a small village which lies in thick jungle approximately 40 km away from Anuradhapura. The temple in Thanthirimale is both religiously and historically significant and still attracts thousands of pilgrims during Poson. The history of Thanthirimale is said to date back to the 6th Century BC. More photographs inside. Thanthirimale - Anuradhapura, Sri LankaReferences ...

Brown Falcon (Falco berigora) - Sandy HollowWe were up at a friends farm in the Hunter region of New South Wales on our annual visit over the October long weekend when I came across a pair of Brown Falcons. The area is full of raptors as there is an abundance of prey on the farms. On our previous trips I ...

Purple Coot - Thalangama, Sri LankaThe Purple Coot, also know as the Purple Swamphen, is a common bird found in the lowland marshes of Sri Lanka. The subspecies found in Sri Lanka, Porphyrio porphyrio poliocephalus, is one of up to 13 subspecies identified through Europe, Africa, Asia and Australia. The thirteen subspecies mainly differ in the colour of their plumage.More ...

Talk to the handHere's the last entry for the project. I can't believe its been a year but I'm glad that I was able to actually complete it! I used a standard two light setup to light this one. I wanted this shot to have a bit of a cold feel to it so opted to use blue gels on ...

Leopard at Wel Mal Kema - Yala, Sri LankaWel Mal Kema is a rocky area within block 1 of the Yala national park. There are a couple of water holes amongst the rocks and apart from the rock itself, there aren't any open areas. The road actually runs up the rock and relatively close to one of the water holes. ...

Estée LauderFor this weeks entry I decided to go for a high key (sort of) product shot. I picked up this bottle of Estée Lauder lotion as lighting the reflective lid would be a challenge. I used two lights for this shot but if I did have a third I would have used it to light the background and bring ...

Ruwanweliseya - Anuradhapura, Sri LankaDuring our trip to Anuradhapura in July I decided to head out early morning to photograph some of the main stupas in the area. I first visited Thuparamaya and then walked around the complex in the general direction of Ruwanweliseya. At 6.00 AM you pretty much have the whole area to yourself as it is way ...

The Pianist's HandsThis is the 50th entry for my project. I've got two weeks to go and I'm looking forward to doing something different. Possibly another project 52 focusing on macro photography. I used a basic two light setup for this shot. One for the base exposure and a second strobe was used as a key light.Lighting setup shots inside. ...

Tickell's Blue Flycatcher - Kandy, Sri LankaOne of the best sightings that I have had of the Tickell's Blue Flycatcher was in Kandy in July. The bird made several appearances and spent quite a bit of time around the house, allowing me to photograph it. I would have liked to get a lot closer to it but unfortunately this was ...

They're Alive!I have used a number of lighting mods (mostly home made) throughout this project but realised that I hadn't used any gobos to date. So for this weeks shot I used 2! A gobo (derived from "go between" or goes before optics) is something that can be used to block light and control what is lit.Lighting setup inside. Lighting ...

Common Iora (female) - Thalangama, Sri LankaWhile I was in Colombo in July I visited the Thalangama wetlands almost every morning to photograph the bird life. On one of my visits I came across a few Common Ioras. I hadn't photographed them before and took the opportunity to shoot a few frames. The photograph above is one of my favourites ...

CherriesThis weeks shot is of water splashing off some cherries. The hardest part of this shot was getting a decent splash. I wanted to light the cherries using two lights. I wanted one of them to light the overall image and the second to act as a key light. I could have used one light and the ambient to achieve ...

The Maligawila Buddha Statue - Maligawila, Sri LankaMaligawila is a small village approximately 250km from Colombo. The area is sparsely populated and is covered in jungle. In 1951 the fallen remains of a 7th century giant free standing Buddha statue (said to be the tallest free standing Buddha statue in Sri Lanka) were discovered in the area. The statue was ...

MarbleThis week's shot is a bit late as I was away over the long weekend. I decided to photograph a marble and I wanted the colour to drop off towards the left of frame. I picked a "Sangria" coloured gel to create the background colour. If I were to shoot this photograph again, I would try and get a bit ...