Stilt fishing, a photo from Southern, South

Photographer's Note

This is one of the most famous scenes of Sri Lanka, the stilit fishermen in Weligama area. I don't know the kind of small fish they are actually fishing but it is quite valuable on the market.
They usually fish at time the sun is either rising or setting. Each stilt belongs to a fisherman who wouldn't sell his place by any mean given the value of the fish and certainly the money they can get from people stopping there.

cgrindahl, rabani, nbournas, thien, saurabh, KevinRL, rozy975, faraujo, PSYOPS, Eagle, trasher, volunteer123, Vini, mortijo, brazilwood, manutd, partha, Albrecht, marieaude, tomaszmarcinek has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

Porteplume (4036) 2003-05-03 8:13

Amazing scene!
You honoured TE's motto, "Learning about the world through photography", perfectly.
I just miss some sharper details on the fishermen at the foreground...

[3]

Aegean (2571) 2003-05-03 9:05

Attractive warm colors and very nice composition...

gringofil (0) 2003-05-03 9:14

Incredible photo! I like everything about it. Amazing.

AdrianW (2274) 2003-05-03 9:55

Alright, I can see I'm going against the tide of opinion - and that usually means I'm wrong, but... ;-)

Firstly I don't think the horizon is straight - it's not far off, but 0.38 CW would improve it. Secondly I would be tempted to run it through NeatImage - there's a fair amount of grain in the sky that I don't think improves the shot. Finally there seems to be a vertical line in the sky about a quarter of the way across?

Compositionally I think I might have preferred a lone fisherman, but I'm not certain on that..

I find the shot fascinating though despite my nitpickings :-)

[5]

hemanthaka (25) 2003-05-03 12:11

Even though Weligam is just 7km away from my home, I haven't seen such a crowd is fishing together! What I have seen most of the time is bunch of empty posts!! The one in a T-shirt is not matched with the others. You could have eleminated him.

[2]

sita4ram (814) 2003-05-04 3:01

looks like a sci-fi movie scene.
must be a bizzare thing to see for the first time.
I like the shot very much, though its too dark.
no details on the fishermen.
wish you had it with the sun low at your back.

amadej (1285) 2003-05-04 14:07

An interesting, nearly bizarre document of a form of human life. Technical issues seems to me less important. Thanks.

philip_coggan (11) 2003-05-05 21:20

How strange that this method of fishing hasn't become more widespread.

This is one of the best stilt-fishermen shots I've seen. The Kodak Gold has really captured those saturated colours. I wonder, though, whether the lack of sharpness isn't due to the same Kodak Gold. Yes, a professional scan to a CD might well bring out the best in this very good image.

mcreider (673) 2003-05-07 13:45

Beautiful capture - this dim light, the fishermen almost like silhuettes, a lot of fresh air

CedarBough (74) 2003-05-09 18:32

wow, what a totally interesting place to be! now i am twice as determined as ever to get to Sri Lanka!

The sloped horizon does bug me, it's readily apparent. Also, the fishermen are a bit too dark, though to have them lighter you would have been losing color in the water and sky. Actually on another look the biggest danger would have been overexposing the white breakers on the waves. So, I guess there was no other way.

As for fixing slopes- in PShop, go to the ruler tool, and use it to draw a line along the thing you want to have straight. Then go to rotate canvas, arbitrary. After you rotate you'll have to crop the shot a bit to make it square again.

migueleloi (264) 2003-05-31 13:51

Good picture. Strange kind of fishing this one.
Perhaps the picture of one single fishman would be very interesting. Anyway i like it!

richtersl (3546) 2003-06-18 21:25

What a fascinating picture!!!!! I just love everything about it!

Rupes (913) 2003-06-22 0:27

Nice shot,with a very nice composition!

ninadev (5377) 2003-07-09 17:18

I love this scene! I've never seen that type of fishing ever, even in documentaries on TV. Quite interesting that I do not pay any attention to the technical flaws put forth by others. But still I thinks is quite good anyway. Like Porteplume says, this really makes me learn about teh word through photography. Bravo.

mdchachi (1612) 2003-07-17 10:51

Fascinating scene though I find the shot not as interesting as it could be primarily because the people are just dark, distant silhouettes. I'd love to see a closer view where I could see the one or two faces.

Motrem (2392) 2003-07-23 6:37

Scиne inconnue pour moi. J'ai lu votre note et зa m'a intйressйe au plus haut point. Belle composition, j'aime beaucoup.

flip89 (3418) 2003-11-02 22:32

This is wild. Trek Earth personified!

goerhal (781) 2003-11-03 22:20

A very interesting picture with a beautiful light, I could however agree with the critics about the horizon line a bit.

WorldGuru (176) 2003-11-10 14:01

Interesting way to catch fish. Very creative of them. Thanks for sharing. I agree with flip89's comment, "Trek Earth personified"

maciekda (19895) 2004-01-14 1:49

just the scene itself is incredible, the way you captured it is really great too, I like the perspective, with stilts and the wave as a diagonal line starting in the left bottom corner. the sunset colors are superb - great mood, it is a really special picture, great stuff.

PSL (113) 2004-01-21 9:05

Superb ! The composition, the colors, the light and the originality of the scene. Very good photo which tells a story.

jmaddocks (563) 2004-01-28 15:11

This picture, to me, is what EarthTrek is all about. It gives us a feel for life in other parts of the earth. I really love this picture, and Leo's workshop of it as well. I agree that the horizon could be straightened a little, but anyway, it is a wonderful shot. Good job!

taivo (1843) 2004-02-26 1:44

Interesting fishing techniques! I've never seen anything like this before. The composition is very nice.

elena (1054) 2004-04-14 1:58

i think sometimes content matter much more than anything in a photo, and even though there are details that could make it better technically,
you have captured the moment and you are teaching about this place and its people...
as others said above, this is a great TE photo!! congrats and i look forward to seeing more!

rabani (9645) 2004-05-25 1:36

Informative photo with note. As for the environmental, no comment Luke. Sometimes we just have to make do and take what we have, then and there.As long as we know what we are taking. Your composition is good to deliver the visual of the note.Thanks Luke.
Learning from Trekearth

kooki (556) 2004-08-24 23:39

Tout a fait innabituelle. Tres Interressante composition ....

dannytoh (267) 2004-09-03 18:18

Almost surreealistic, like the aura, llike on a different planet, really envious of your wide travel to all thoese interesting places.......a true world citizen.

saurabh (104) 2004-09-18 13:35

Nice pov with the stilts stretching towards the right...and the evening mood is conveyed well by the light...they look tired after a hard days work!

oochappan (4880) 2004-09-26 18:56

Indeed a very known scene but you catched it with a good range of soft colors and perfect POV evocating some perspective in it. Nice to look at.

dasilva (141) 2004-09-30 4:22

Interesting photo on Sri Lanka fisherman traditions. Very original way of fishing ! :)
I like the composition, but I find the scene not very litghty. Maybe because the sun is rising or setting ...
Overall I like this photo !

emreozkurt (344) 2004-11-04 23:38

Amazing shot, very vibrant and clean. It gives an very egzotic and mystic feeling!

KevinRL (835) 2005-01-01 1:21

Lets hope that some of these guys survived the tsunami, to continue the tradition.
A great photo, even with the sloped horizon and noisy finish.

PSYOPS (0) 2005-01-19 10:15

One of my favorites location on the globe.

rod_andretta (4) 2005-02-12 19:43

Excelente cena.
Uma maneira muito diferente de pescaria.
Nunca tinha visto isso.
Parabйns

vapours (8264) 2005-03-15 20:35

Amazing image very amusing as well.

Vini (16) 2005-04-19 16:37

I found it very mysterious. Before reading your notes, I was wondering if this was a kind of religious practice.
The man at foreground seems to be out of context. But for me it made your photo more interesting.

brazilwood (66) 2005-05-25 19:11 [Comment]

Show Comment

partha (14023) 2005-09-21 15:02

The strength of this pic is it's subject. The composition, colour balance are little weak. The grains does not give a soothing tone which can be improved thr. photoshop.

venus (748) 2005-09-24 1:48

It looks very silly, but they know why they are doing it. Very nice photo and nice colors.
Thanks for sharing

ishai (4097) 2005-09-24 3:03

Wow ,LuKo
What a capture, I can see my self taking thousands of pictures for hour’s there
What a place with a great sunset
But the people sitting on there poles is very nice
I have seen it before but not with so many at the same time
Well captured

Ishai

fixed (3836) 2005-10-23 9:07

hello Luko
je reviens sur cette photo incroyable
... une grappe de pкcheur ...
c'est trиs beau!
il me semble que la qualitй du scan est crade ...
trиs BФ en papier je pense !
bravo!
Merci pour le partage :+)
ET merci pour tout !
Arnaud

keribar (43841) 2005-12-11 15:38

Hello Luko,

Of course I have already seen this special place in pictures but this one is for sure the best shot I saw until now..
It looks as if it is worth to make a trip to see Weligama only. Many thanks - Izzet

Albrecht (11283) 2005-12-11 15:42

Hi Luko
What an interesting and never seen scene. Wonderful to see this and a good picture.
greetings Albrecht

aros (0) 2005-12-11 16:00

What a spectacle! The photograph needs some technical adjustment, this has already been done in a workshop. As for the subject matter - unique, engaging and informative. Just exactly what TE is for.

marieaude (1196) 2006-03-27 6:21

Hello, fantastic scene of those men fishing. It is really a good testimony of the differents daily life in the world. Thanks for sharing.

russte (0) 2006-05-03 16:36

Luko, beautiful pastel photo. Strong composition along the diagonal helped by the froth of the sea. The ship on the horizon also helps the perspective. And above all it has LIFE. Wonderful. Stephen

teutza (10590) 2007-10-16 2:24

wow..never seen something like this..
now i really have to say TFS:)
very interesting people..
that's why i love TE:)
teo

giorgimer (35017) 2009-02-20 9:31

Hi Luko,

this is really an attractive scene, well captured and composed.

Compliments!

Gio

azizbilgili (2111) 2009-05-25 6:30

Hi Luko,
Interesting way to catch fish. Very creative of them.

TFS

jmbaud74 (121) 2010-11-07 2:58

Really a beautiful image of this place I visited 30 years ago. Only a small critique; the sea isn't exactly horizontal....

gdelemen (16) 2014-07-09 6:52

Amazing subject and photo… It's beautiful:)