Sri Lanka: Travel Photography with the Leica M11

It’s been a long time since I wrote a travel report. To be exact, it’s been a good five years. I haven’t been traveling for that long, and I haven’t been actively photographing either. The latter in particular is very unusual for me. Photography has been with me for half my life and is a constant passion that I couldn't imagine doing without. Nevertheless, this long break came about for various reasons. I hereby declare it over. Over the turn of the year, I spent around four weeks in Sri Lanka doing what I have always enjoyed most: Traveling and photography. And I could hardly have imagined a more beautiful country for my “comeback”. Sri Lanka offers pretty much everything that makes a photographer's heart beat faster: impressive nature, lively cities, beautiful colors and incredibly friendly people. I will especially remember the people in the country for a long time to come. People are always smiling at you and the warmth I experienced is something very special. It is rare to meet so many nice and open people. At first, I was almost overwhelmed by the friendliness. Here, you're more likely to be threatened with the police if you have the idea of smiling in a friendly way. What a shame, really.

The classic Itinerary

Sri Lanka is a relatively small country, so the choice of itineraries is more or less predetermined. I first traveled inland from the capital Colombo to Habarana, from where you can go on various day trips. One is a visit to the ancient city of Polonnaruwa, an ancient temple complex that has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since the 1980s. It was once the capital of the mighty Ceylon kingdom. Some of the magnificent ruins are over 1000 years old. The temple complex is huge, so it is advisable to hire one of the bicycles at the entrance. Otherwise, the tropical heat can quickly become exhausting.

A second highlight, which can be reached from Habarana in just 20 minutes, is the popular Sigiriya Rock, by far the most famous rock in the country. The ruins of an ancient fortress can be found on this monolith, which is also known as Lion's Rock and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. However, you have to work hard to visit it, climbing around 1200 steps.

Tuk Tuk Sri Lanka Ahangama

From Habarana, I took the direct route to Kandy, the heart of Ceylon tea. It's worth spending 1-2 days here and, as they say, drinking tea. The famous Sir Thomas Lipton built up his tea empire in this region over 100 years ago.

A train ride is fun - not

From Kandy, all tourists, without exception, take the much too small train to Nuwara Eliya or directly on to Ella. This train ride through the country's high mountains is certainly one of the tourist treats. However, this has only been the case since the first influencers found out that you can let yourself hang out of the train doors and get lots of likes on social media. A few years ago, the train was still a normal means of travel for the local population, but today it is full to the brim with photo-hungry girlz & boyz who are literally queuing up at the doors of the train to get one of these extremely authentic photos. Annoying humans.

Due to the new popularity of this panoramic train, it is strongly recommended that you buy the few tickets that can be reserved well in advance. A recommendation that passed me by. Fortunately, one hour before departure you still have the opportunity to get hold of the remaining tickets directly at the station. On the downside, the chance of getting a seat tends towards zero. And so I had to stand for a good 4.5 hours out of a total of 7.5 hours, sandwiched between around three million other tourists, locals and all our luggage. What a dream! So yes, it was definitely an exhausting train ride, but also one that was really worth it. The journey through the picturesque landscapes is simply fantastic. The train chugs very slowly through the high mountains, covering just 160 km from Kandy to Ella in the 7.5 hours mentioned above. After all, this experience was one of the particularly inexpensive ones. The journey cost a whopping two euros. That brings out the Swabian in me. Bargain!

In Ella you arrive in a beautiful and green mountain region. This is also the location of the famous Nine Arches Bridge, to which thousands of people make a pilgrimage every day. I spent a total of three days in Ella. Not necessarily just because of the bridge, but because it is simply incredibly beautiful. The region is great for hiking, gazing at waterfalls and visiting various temples. I particularly liked the Mahamevnawa temple, which is located high up on a mountain. Of all the temples in Sri Lanka, I found this one the most beautiful. It doesn't seem to have found its way into the travel magazines and Instagram yet. In any case, I was the only non-Sinhalese there and was greeted with curiosity. A group of young students really wanted a photo of themselves and with me. A likeable bunch.

From Ella, I only drove south to the beaches of Mirissa and Ahangama. But there's not much to say about that. You just do beach things and eat avo toast and pancakes. Unfortunately, the Bali flair has also found its way into Sri Lanka. I don't like it at all. But that's how we Westerners tick. We just can't bear to leave these beautiful places in their natural state. We HAVE to import our hip cafés, restaurants and hotels. Otherwise we might get homesick. Nobody wants that.

Reisefotografie mit der Leica m11

Photography was a central element of my trip. Sri Lanka offers endless motifs. Compared to other countries, the local people are very happy to be photographed. As a small thank you, I sent everyone their picture directly via WhatsApp. The joy was huge every time. And so was mine. There's hardly anything nicer than giving someone a small gift - even if it's just a photo.

I had my new Leica M11 and the Summilux 35mm f1.4 ASPH FLE II with me, and I am totally taken with this setup. The camera has reinvented the way I look at photography. Leica's M cameras are cameras where you have to set everything manually - focus, ISO, aperture and shutter speed. This is something I have never dealt with in such depth before. I come from the wonderful world of autofocus cameras, where you hardly have to worry about focusing your pictures. Especially not with the many modern features such as object tracking, focus peaking or iris tracking. Although all these tools are very helpful, they have also made me bored with modern cameras. They somehow took away my interest in the art of photography. Hence the decision to switch to the M series. Less is more.

At the beginning of my trip, I produced a lot of blurry photos simply because I forgot to focus manually. I was used to pulling the trigger and getting a finished photo. Four weeks later, however, I have to say that I am absolutely delighted with this type of photography. Manual focusing allows you to take - or have to take - much more time for the photos. You have to think about all the settings for every photo. That's why you miss some moments, of course. But that's okay. The best pictures are the ones I never took anyway. The big advantage of this M system is that the camera and lenses don't have an autofocus motor, which makes them much smaller and more compact. This makes the M11 the perfect travel camera for me. Whereas I used to travel the world with large, heavy cameras and lenses, today it's a compact camera with a 35 mm fixed focal length. Good for the back. You just get older.

In any case, I feel like I'm getting to know photography in a new way, which is a lot of fun. However, there are still a few things I need to learn. Especially with close objects that are moving, I still find it quite difficult to set the focus or distance correctly. That will take some practice.

Conclusion

Sri Lanka is a country full of beauty, hospitality and culinary discoveries. I really enjoyed my time there and am already looking forward to a possible return. And who knows, maybe one day I'll hang out of a train as well. “Do it for the gram!”, I was taught by some young humans on this trip. That's just the way we are, I guess. Human after all.

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