Photos: Bringing Back Back
My cousin Sudesh at his cousin Daji’s wedding (couple at left)
Another one of my weird photo fetishes is people’s backs. Not out of desire necessarily, but more often because I am a dumbass and I usually end up behind the action. Also I think it better, at Sri Lankan weddings and events the photographers are always in your face. While it may capture the visage, I think it misses the moment entirely. I take photos with a pocket camera and I’m short, so I frequently end up with people between me and the action. Even at events where I’m allowed back stage or nearby I feel phallicly inadequate without an 8-pound SLR, so I tend to lurk. Anyways, what follows are a few of my favorite back photos, and a link to a full gallery. At the beginning I ended up photographing backs cause I couldn’t be assed to get up and stand in front of the action. And now I, um, still can’t be assed.
Guard at Royal Thomian Match
Royal Thomian is good for standing behind people, though if the wrong people catch you you might get your ass kicked. Security guards are another thing. They have funny company names like ‘Gallant Plus’ and dress like serious paratroopers, yet get paid little, carry no weapons and are often skinny and dimunitive. They’re also at every event, yet never in the picture.
Kid Watching MAS Boxing Match
I also like having a subject/object relationship in the picture, rather than it being just an abstract window. If you have someone within the picture looking at the action it gives you a sense of seeing the event in that time and place. Or something. In this case the little kid was watching the boxing, which gives it a bit more import than the straight boxing shots. It’s not so much about the boxing as ‘seeing’ the boxing which is, IMHO, more interesting.
Friend taking a wizz
In this case the subject is this tiki character and the object is the innocent Kandy foliage. I like this photo mainly cause the flash went off and the colors came out OK. It’s worse for faces, but here the colors of the shirt are OK and you can still see some of the green in the background.
Tourist at Elephant Orphanage
All backs are not created equal and it never hurts to get women’s backs in the photo. Just saying. As a counter-example, there is a photo of the typical Sri Lankan male physique in the gallery.
Harini looking out at city (from Pinnacle Mall)
Concerning the latter, is always better to photograph the girlfriend’s back.
Daughter of and my aunt at my great-aunt Florie’s funeral
I want to visit my friend in China before he comes back. Free place to crash and all. So, I applied for a visa to China, from Colombo. I’m not sure I’ll get it, but this is process to at least apply. For official but incomplete info, check out the 
The Mahavamsa (a history of Sri Lanka) is full of conflicts between generals and kings. Usually, the more bloodthirsty and unscrupulous would win. Our current (elected) ruler Mahinda Rajapaksa has had his own general conflicts, namely with one Sarath Fonseka. In the old days Fonseka would have staged a coup, as in literally try to cut of Mahinda’s head, and Mahinda would – if that failed – tie him to four elephants and split his parts asunder. Can’t do that shit anymore. Instead Fonseka ran for office and lost and Mahinda tossed him in jail.
Today on the 
Janith has updated 
Very nice pics. Haven’t been to a RoyTho in a few years :( Gallant Plus? In our day it used to be those Avant Garde chaps in black doing the security there. Who the hell is that skinny specimen in the pic? I could probably knock him down myself. The Avant Garde, on the other hand, were quite notorious for their batton-happiness, and were pretty beefy by Sri Lankan standards. Probably might have popped you one if you took random pics of them. Them being army deserters and all. Anyway, keep it up.