An Engagement Fit for a Princess

Last night my 2^nd shooter, Lakna, and I went to photograph a Muslim engagement at one of the 5-star hotels in Colombo. We began the photography at the salon, which didn’t thrill either of us, as the background at the salon was a bit plain. We did get some nice shots of the bride, but we were waiting until we got to the hotel to get the really good ones.

Typically, the bride-to-be stays in the hotel room and her mother, father and in this case, brother and friends came up to see her and wish her well. This bride also had 5 uncles who came up to say hello! Fun group of men. Although it was a 5-star hotel with beautiful gardens, the bride must stay in the room so that no one besides family and best friends can see her. This makes photography a bit dicey as tables, chairs, lamps and the bed are all in the way of good shots. Which is why we usually end up rearranging the room.

Our bride had on a shocking pick lehenga (long skirt with a tight-fitting top with sleeves) with lots and lots of zirconium work that made it sparkle like the Milky Way. Her hands and feet had the traditional Mehindi art, done with henna paste. I was told by one previous bride that her groom-to-be initials were hidden in her artwork and that in order to ‘mess around’ on their wedding night, he’d first have to find the initials! Since this was an engagement of women only, my bride did not have her husband to be initials hidden in the Mehindi! Definitely not something this bride would do.

Since Lakna takes the detail shots I won’t get them until Tuesday when I see her next, so I’m going to post some of what I have that won’t show the bride’s face. I must say though that the décor, done by Joan Forbes, was just precious. The throne consisted of a bejeweled carriage and everything had a princess crown topping it – floral arrangements, the cake, even the centerpieces on each table. And all the flowers, lots of pink roses, were fresh. Some weddings use silk flowers and they just don’t hold a candle to fresh ones. The gifts that the groom’s family gave the bride's family were all placed on table-sized gold carriages. The elegance of the gifts was mind-boggling. Besides tons of chocolate, fruit and nuts, there were at least 8 bejeweled saris, with matching shoes and bangles and purses. My mouth was agape, as I looked them over.

The crowd was super friendly and happy - and beautifully dressed. When photographing the groups of different family members, I like to trick the women who are fully covered in black. I take one photo, telling everyone to smile. And then I point to the covered lady and point my finger saying, ‘You didn’t smile!’ As if I could tell! It always makes her and everyone else laugh and puts everyone at ease.

Lakna and I started at the salon at 6PM and the function at the hotel finished at midnight. We had such a good time, that time just flew by and before we knew it we had photographed all the family members and friends and of course, had tons of gorgeous photos of the bride (which of course, you can’t see – sorry!)

The bride's Mehindi'd hands resting on her lehenga.

It's the small details that count.

The princess crown topping

each fresh flower bouquet.

Close up.

At each table. I liked the lights of the

chandelier above the crown.

The cake amidst the gift tables.

Some of the spectacular saris.

Life-sized cake with crown!

The lehenga and all its glitter.

Another tower bouquet.

Pretty in pink.

The gold and diamond tali (wedding necklace)

that the groom's family gives to the bride.

Some of the flowers.

More flowers.

 Part of the carriage that held the gifts.

A little darling up on the throne.

Check out my Sri Lankan wedding photography, travel photography, portrait photography, female photographers, commercial photography at my website at: http://www.shadetreeSL.com

© ShadeTree Productions

Perched Like Birds On Posts

Stilt fishermen are a Sri Lankan icon. They are at the top of my ‘must-see, must-photograph’ list. A relatively new industry – beginning only some 50 years ago – stilt fishing is an important part of the southern coastal economy. But more than an industry, it is a way of life that has been handed down from father-to-son-to grandson.

Originally fishing was done from the rocks that either lined the seashore or protruded from the ocean. However, prime locations were often taken, so fishermen began to use iron pipes left over from World War II, wedging them into the coral reef, using a crowbar to chip away at the coral. When the pipes became scarce, fishermen turned for support to more available local wood: domba (Calophyllum inophyllum), a large evergreen tree, and kadol (Rhizophora) a Red Mangrove. The wood most often used is the plentiful Wig Banyan (Alstonia macrophylla).

The light, 5m wooden stilts made moving from one fishing location to another easier than relocating the heavy pipes. Fishermen now say, however, that iron pipes last longer than wood and are being used because wood is becoming scarce.

It takes only one man to ‘plant’ a stilt, and it is done during low tide. Once a stilt is secure, the ‘seat’ (petta) is tied into place. Another piece of wood is then added to create a triangle for stability. Other smaller pettas are often added for use as steps. The distance between stilts is the breadth and width needed to cast a line without tangling in a neighbor’s line.

Seasoned Kithul wood (Caryota urens) is used for the slim, long fishing rod and fishing hooks are also handmade usually by the fishermen themselves. Some fishermen ‘angle’ with several rods, manipulating them like jugglers.

A typical day begins before dawn and lasts until dark. It is divided into four shifts: early morning, late morning, afternoon and evening. One by one, so as not to disturb the school of fish that come into the reef area to rest after their nocturnal feeding, fishermen swim out to their stilts. They plough through the surging surf carrying their fishing rods and bags – most use empty 10kg rice bags to hold their catch. They don’t take water or food with them, only their gear.

With the sun or the rain beating down on them, fishermen catch koraburuwa, the spotted herring, Ahalaburuwa, young Koraburuwa and Bolla, a small Mackerel. On a good day, during the high fishing season in December, a fisherman can catch up to 2,000 fish. During the low season a good catch is 150-200. Sometimes the men can bag their catch in just 30 minutes. Other times it might take several hours.

Fishing is extremely territorial. The village that fronts each fishery governs the fishing and the fishermen come from that village. It is the same system for the other fisheries along the coast: Hikkaduwa, Koggala, Ahangama, Gurubabila/Weligama and Kathaluwa.

My favorite group of stilt fishermen is from the Gurubabila/Weligama area. I have taken many photographs of them over the years and have come to know them. This day they eagerly talked to me while they waited for the sun to set – the time when they begin their evening fishing.

Laxsman, a heavy-set man with gray streaks running through his hair, is the fish salesman for the Gurubabila/Weligama area and the ‘boss’ of the fishery. His village chose him for the position. ‘My father was a fish salesman for the village,’ Laksman told me. ‘It is what he taught me to do.’ There was obvious pride in his voice. The fish salesman pays the fishermen daily for the catch. The going rate that Laxsman pays is Rs3 per fish. He then sells the combined catch to the Weligama roadside stand for Rs3.5. Laxsman records each transaction for his crew of 40-50 fishermen, who range in ages between 15 and 65. With so many fishermen to a fishery, I wondered about over-fishing. ‘We don’t use net,’ he said. ‘No problem, fish come same every year.’

Typically, the fishing trade is handed down from one generation to another. The village depends on fishing and so it is only natural that fathers teach their sons what they know. With unemployment plaguing many villages, being a fisherman provides a steady income. Piyadas, another gray-haired fisherman, piped up. ‘My father’s father was a fisherman, and his father,’ he said in halting English. ‘I fish, in sun, rain, every day.’

‘Do you hurt from sitting so long on the stilt?’ I asked the men. They collectively nodded their heads, even the young ones. Several grabbed their backs, showing that the time spent balancing on a stilt takes it toll on their bodies. But they didn’t seem to be complaining, only answering my question. They are rugged men, not daunted by strong waves or harsh weather. Most of the men are of small stature, able to balance with one hand holding onto the stilt while casting with the other. They sit against the wind, they said, for the best conditions to cast.

Images of stilt fishermen are popular graphics for Sri Lanka products. They’re used on websites, as hotel logos, and provide inspiration for wooden figurines. Posing for stilt fishing photographs has become an industry in itself. Hotels have taken to placing stilts along their beaches as tourist attractions. While driving past the Ahangama fishery, I spotted about 60 fishermen perched on stilts that were lashed together with a fence, or weta. Two men were fishing from the tandem stilts. I quickly stopped on the roadside to take a photograph. The sun was just about to dip into the ocean and the display of orange glistening water, with the flock of fishermen perched like black sea birds on the posts, was breathtaking. I scurried through the mangrove trees out to the beach to get a shot.

Fishermen have become savvy over the years and know that a photo opportunity is a hot commodity, especially at sunset and sunrise. The Ahangama fishermen are some of the most commercially aware. One approached me before I could lift my camera and asked for ‘tea money’ for the group. Normally I don’t mind donating, but this man was so insistent that I missed the shot completely – the sun had set while he blocked my view. That wouldn’t have happened with the Gurubabila/Weligama fishermen.

To take your own stilt fishermen photographs, you must drive south of Colombo along the coastal road and watch for the telltale stilts sticking up out of the water, starting at Hikkaduwa. Most drivers and guides know the popular sites. If you’re super adventurous, drive further south to Weligama and seek out the Gurubabila fishery. Ask Laxsman, the fish salesman, to help you get good photos. Tell him that I sent you and he might even invite you home for tea!

Note: this article was written in March 2008 and so Laxsman may not still be the fish salesman, but I’m sure he still lives in the village.

Weligama Gurubablia Fishery. This photo

won an award from Traveler Photographers Network.

Fisherman comes in with his meagre catch.

Fisherman finished for the shift.

The fish salesman pays the fishermen daily for their catch.

Weligama fishermen.

On a good day a fisherman can catch up to 2,000 fish.

Fishing hooks are handmade,

usually by the fishermen themselves.

Seasoned Kithul wood is used for the slim, long fishing poles.

The evening shift.

Piyadasa contemplating the sea.

This photo was the cover photo of

Serendib Magazine, the inflight magazine

of Sri Lanka airlines.

This is the shot the tourists want. And some will

pay the fishermen to get it.

Check out my Sri Lankan wedding photography, travel photography, portrait photography, female photographers, commercial photography at my website at: http://www.shadetreeSL.com

© ShadeTree Productions

Big Girl Party!

When a Buddhist girl begins her menstrual cycles (menarche), her family throws her a ‘big girl party’ and invites the entire family and the neighbors to join in on the festivities and fanfare of their daughter now having entered womanhood. Menstruation defines womanhood in Sri Lanka and until she menstruates she is genderless.

Some ‘big girl parties are quite grand, held in 5-star hotels with the guest list mounting into the hundreds. Some, as in a village, are simple affairs, with a large crowd enjoying the festivities of food and drink. In some places in Sri Lanka, the tradition is dying out, but not in the villages.

I’ve been to two ‘big girl parties’, and in the beginning I thought it a bit bizarre to announce to the community that the girl has finally gotten her period. I knew this to be a time, in my country, when mother and daughter talk quietly about how to use a menstrual pad and that it’s a monthly happening. My grandmother told me when I was somewhere around 9 or 10 that if I ever found blood in the toilet to quickly tell her. I hadn’t a clue as to what she was talking about, but nether-the- less I often checked for blood! I don’t remember having ‘the talk’ with my mother, but with my girlfriends.

Most cultures have the ‘coming of age’ parties. I’ve been told that the Hindu people in Sri Lanka celebrate for a week, with many rituals surrounding the girl’s coming of age. Somewhat similar parties are girls’ ‘sweet 16’ party in the US and in Mexico the girl’s Quinceanera party at the age of 15. And the Bat Mitzvah for 12 year-old Jewish girls. I could go on and on, but I’d have to spend a lot of time on Google to research the different cultures.

I’ve been to the ‘big girl’ party, but I didn’t get the explanation of what happens with the girl before the party. I’ve since been told that once the girl starts to bleed, she immediately tells her mother and then her mother goes to horoscope reader and gives him the day and time of bleed. Hence he does the reading on the girl and forecasts the girl’s future. He also gives day and time of the coming out party. Until the day of the party, she has to stay in her room so no male can see her, even her father or brothers. She’s not allowed to eat eggs or meat and there’s an auspicious time to come out of room, which coincides with the day of the party.

On day of party at the auspicious time, the mother brings daughter out of room and an elderly mid-wife gives her a bath. The girl has to wear white clothes to signify purity. After the bath she is given gifts by parents and her family. She in return gives a stack of betel leaves (bulath atha) in offer of respect. Later in the day she changes to a fancy party dress and enjoys the festivities!

Note: The photos below were taken by Lipton Jayawickrama as I wasn’t able to go to this specific ‘big girl party.’

Father and Big Girl, Dhaneesha.

Dhaneesha offering betel leaves

to her grandmother.

Bowing to her grandmother,

showing respect.

Dhaneesha shows respect to all her family.

Even her cousins.

Dhaneesha in her party dress.

Everyone loves to have their photo taken.

Such a cutie!

Wow! What a smile. Look at those dimples!

Certainly not camera shy!

Dhaneesha's uncle and cousins.

Uncles.

More photos!

Grandmother, Aunt and cousin.

With friends.

The feast.

Time to eat.

Time for a group photo.

Dancing girls!

BFF! With a 2nd fancy dress.

Check out my Sri Lankan wedding photography, travel photography, portrait photography, female photographers, commercial photography at my website at: http://www.shadetreeSL.com

© ShadeTree Productions