Shoot Before Dawn In Galle, Sri Lanka

Wake up before dawn in Galle.

The seaside Sri Lankan city, wrapped in its colonial fort and perched on turquoise water, stuns at all hours. The muggy hot streets are filled with old men on bikes, travelers in cafés, schoolchildren on fieldtrips.

But before sunrise are the secret hours, when people sleep and the air is cool.

It wasn’t my idea to wake up so early, and the cocoon of my bed held me tight. I crawled out anyway, though, lured by the whispered promise of the good light—a photographer’s weakness. Our trio wandered down the empty streets in the blue hour before sunrise until we reached boats. Fisherman groan and shout by the beach, tugging in their boats and butchering their bloody fish with the thick thwack of knives.

No one seemed to mind us as we milled about, taking pictures.

The light was diffuse and pink, adding pastel glowing colors to the scene. There’s something special about that dawn warmth; less harsh than the midday sun, less golden than the hours before the sun sets, yet more delicate, quieter.

This was a scene I couldn’t have found, or shot, without waking up at 5am. So, if you want to see a different side of Galle; set your alarm and wander its quiet streets before dawn.