Sri Lanka is an island that everyone loves at some level inside themselves. A very special island that travellers, from Sinbad to Marco Polo, dreamed about.
Romesh Gunesekera, Sri Lankan author
Sri Lanka is such a colourful country that it seems counterintuitive to photograph it in black and white. But I’m always up for a photographic challenge! Plus, I enjoy editing from colour into monochrome, experimenting to see what different effects and moods I can create.
I previously shared some edits of shots taken in Sri Lanka in my response to PR’s minimalism challenge. But there were others that I felt could work well in monochrome, yet didn’t fit the minimalism brief. So for this week’s theme-free Monochrome Madness I looked back again through the many images from my three weeks there and found some more that I thought were worth testing in a black and white version. These are the ones I felt worked best; I hope you agree!
My feature photo is of a white lotus bud at the Swanee Grand hotel in Negombo, where we spent the first and last nights of our trip. Despite the name it isn’t grand, but it has a lovely garden which is the owner’s pride and joy, judging by his pleasure in showing me this half-hidden flower.
All these images were originally shot in colour and edited with Nik Silver Efex Pro
A rainy day in Gal Oya National Park
Asian wild water buffalo and calf, Wilpattu National Park
Land monitor lizard in Wilpattu National Park
Sri Lankan Grey Hornbill, Wilpattu National Park
Waterlily at the Mudhouse eco-lodge
Seated Buddha, Mihintale
An old building in Galle Fort, in use by the Muslim community
Grinding semi-precious stones in Galle
A roadside cycle repair shop
A visitor to Sigiriya
I visited Sri Lanka in February 2026
29 Comments
rkrontheroad
Interesting… although I haven’t been to Sri Lanka, I imagine it as colorful as India. The buffalo are my favorite of this group.
Sarah Wilkie
It is certainly very colourful Ruth, so it was a challenge finding photos that would work in black and white!
Rose
The Seated Buddha, Mihintale, seems like such a bright contrast to its surroundings.
Sarah Wilkie
Even more so in colour, against a blue sky, as you’ll see when I do a full post about Minthale 😀
equinoxio21
True, in many countries of the “South” there are so many colours that B&W feels odd, but it works well on people, architecture and animals. The buffaloes were great. And the young lady at the end.
👏🏻
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you very much 😊
grandmisadventures
great pictures- I really love the buffalo with her baby
Sarah Wilkie
Thanks so much Meg 😊 I loved seeing that pair!
Leanne Cole
I agree Sarah, these do look great in monochrome. I have to say the Buddha looks even more ethereal like this.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Leanne 😀 It’s interesting that you find the Buddha ethereal in this edit. While I do see exactly what you mean, I’m also of course conscious of the colour version in which the statue looks more dramatic than ethereal. I’ll share it some time soon so you can see what you think.
Anne Sandler
These photos look great in black and white, especially your street portraits. However, my favorite is the smiling and sleeping water buffalo.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you very much Anne 😊 I thought those water buffalo made a good pair!
wetanddustyroads
There are definitely photos that work in B&W – like your ‘Rainy day in Gal Oya National Park’. Yet there are others, like the flowers and that girl in Sigiriya, which I think would be beautiful in colour. But I think you always have fun seeing what effect you can create by changing your photos into B&W – and having fun is great, right 😉?
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you for the thoughtful feedback Corna. You may well see the colour versions of many of these photos in future posts so you’ll be able to compare them 😄
margaret21
These do work in b/w – especially shots like the lizard and the statue. But I’ll admit to hankering after colour.
Sarah Wilkie
I do know what you mean Margaret – as with the sport photos last week I actually think most of these shots work better in colour but that doesn’t mean they don’t work at all in monochrome and it can bring out some different aspects.
margaret21
Oh sure. I did appreciate them. But in many I yearned to see the colours too.
Monkey's Tale
I had completely forgotten about Mihintale. We have quite a few pictures similar to the man on the grinding stone, doing various jobs, and I always love them. This one works well in black and white. Maggie
Sarah Wilkie
Thanks very much Maggie 😊 I’ll do a full post on Mihintale soon!
the eternal traveller
A lovely collection – that hornbill is a beauty.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you very much Carol – he posed beautifully for me 😀
Teresa
Though I am a colour person, I must admit that these images work well in white and black. Nice to see Sri Lanka in Monochrome.
Sarah Wilkie
I’m happy to have persuaded you that Sri Lanka can look good in monochrome Teresa! Thank you 🙂
bushboy
A lovely mix of natural world and peoples world photos Sarah. No particular favourites, I enjoyed them all. Great B&W conversions
Sarah Wilkie
Thanks so much Brian, I’m glad you like them 😊
Egídio
I thought the nature shots would be my favorites. They are gorgeous, and so are the architectural shots and portraits.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you very much Egidio 😊
Sue
Some good images here despite the lack of colour- the ones with plenty of texture work best, of course. Love the Lotus bud, water buffalo with the little calf, the monitor lizard and the old building in Galle Fort
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Sue, I’m glad you found quite a few to appeal to you here 🙂