Thanthirimale - Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka

Thanthirimale - Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka

Thanthirimale 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.

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Brown Falcon - Sandy Hollow, Australia

Brown Falcon (Falco berigora) - Sandy Hollow

We 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 had photographed Black Shouldered Kites, Kestrels and Wedge Tailed Eagles but had not seen any falcons.

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Purple Coot - Thalangama, Sri Lanka

Purple Coot - Thalangama, Sri Lanka

The 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.

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52/52 - Talk to the hand

Talk to the hand

Here'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 the main light.

Lighting setup after the jump.

The Leopards at Wel Mal Kema - Yala, Sri Lanka

Leopard at Wel Mal Kema - Yala, Sri Lanka

Wel 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. The area is known for Leopard and Bear.  It's not the easiest road to drive along.

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51/52 - Estée Lauder

Estée Lauder

For 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 up the white a bit more.

Lighting setup inside.

Ruwanweliseya - Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka

Ruwanweliseya - Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka

During 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 too early in the morning for tourists and pilgrims. The light being at it's best is an added bonus.

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50/52 - The Pianist's Hands

The Pianist's Hands

This 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 Lanka

Tickell's Blue Flycatcher - Kandy, Sri Lanka

One 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 not possible.

More photographs inside.