Street Photography Tips, Interaction, Travel, Guides
*A series of guides on shooting Street Photography in cities around the world. Find the best spots to shoot, things to capture, safety concerns, street tips, and more for cities around the world. I have personally researched, explored and shot Street Photography in every city that I create a guide for. So you can be ready to capture the streets as soon as you step outside with your camera!
This Sunday’s Street Shot of the Week was taken in Colombo, Sri Lanka on the local train. I was taking the train from Fort Station to Mt. Lavinia, a close suburb of Colombo to the south. Many people stay in Mt. Lavinia when they visit Colombo, but the main reason I was going there was to ride along the coast line. It’s a cheap and quick 15 minute trip each way that I’d recommend doing just for the scenery and experience.
I was hanging out the side door looking for photos and enjoying the ocean view when we stopped at a station. As we started to leave, I liked how the light was hitting the man across from me. The colors in the background were nice too with the yellow station and blue ocean. I noticed a man off in the distance looking at the water and a bird in between. There was something about the different angles of shadows and other parts of the scene I liked too. So I snapped this shot just as I could fit it all in the frame, and as the local trained gained steam and headed back down the coastline.
This Sunday’s Street Shot of the Week was taken in Colombo, Sri Lanka on Main Street near the Red Mosque. Main street is one of the busier streets in the city, just east of Fort on the north end of Pettah. There are shops, banks and plenty of traffic here (vehicle, foot and cow). It also leads to Sea Street and the popular gold markets.
As I was walking along a covered sidewalk here, I noticed this interesting looking security guard sitting in his chair alongside an old blue wall. There was also a small cat just around the corner from him and a man stopping along the wall to comb his hair. I saw this scene unfolding ahead as I was walking up so I stopped just in front and quickly framed them all in the photo before it was gone.
While the security guard’s expression comes off a little unfriendly in this photo, the opposite was true. Colombo has the most camera friendly security guards and policemen I’ve ever met in my life, and he was no different. This photo was followed by a large smile, wave and a “thank you.”
Marco Polo called Sri Lanka the finest island in the world and before the Sri Lankan Civil War, it was a top tourist destination in the world too. Since the civil war ended in 2009, it’s regaining all those visitors too. While most come for the beaches, rain forests, ancient sites and more, Colombo is the biggest city and main way on and off the island.
On some recommendations, I made sure to stay longer than most so I could really get a feel for this city, and I’m glad I did. It was one of the better street photography experiences I’ve had. I loved the mix of urban city, island life, chaos and friendly people. You can check out my 7 first impressions of Colombo from a street photography perspective and stay tuned for an in-depth street photography guide to the city, but in the meantime, here’s some street photography I was able to capture during my time in Colombo…
Colombo is the commercial capital and largest city in Sri Lanka, but most people don’t come to the island for city life, they come for the beautiful beaches, nature, and “Cultural Triangle.”
Before coming to Sri Lanka, I talked to some photographers who found Colombo had plenty to offer itself, though. Maybe it’s more worth it for street photographers, but I ended up staying almost a week in Colombo because of how much I liked it. If you enjoy cities in India, then Colombo shouldn’t be disappointing, but it also has its own character that makes it different too.
So here are my first impressions of Colombo, from my personal Street Photographer perspective…
