Gastown Last-night with the VSO

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Gastown Last night with the VSO Vancouver Symphony Orchestra

I haven’t got a lot of time here because I need to run to the gym before it gets crazy busy! But I will take a second and get a few photos out from last night in Gastown when the VSO (Vancouver Symphony Orchestra) came out to play. It sounded beautiful, and there were tables set up with many people showing up and enjoying themselves. Unfortunately, we did not get there early, so we could not see the VSO musicians we could only hear them.

It was then that I noticed the light show they were painting the old brick building with. I set my camera on the building and got some cool shots of strong light on brick.

The photos taken from this event are in the Free to Download section of my site. Here is a link to play a full-screen gallery of all the photos available in that gallery.

Time to go to the GYM!

The Queen of Yala, The Sri Lankan leopard (Panthera pardus kotiya)

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Female Leopard Yala National Park Sri Lanka Female Sri Lankan leopard (Panthera pardus kotiya) Photo available for sale on my site

It’s March 2022, and I am finally back in Sri Lanka. The last time I was here was April of 2017, and I can still recall every moment (when I wasn’t drunk) of being in this paradise of an island where my husband is from and where one of his brothers still lives.

It was never supposed to take so long to get back here. We had plans to return by 2019 however plans changed. Then in 2020, tickets were purchased and ready to go. COVID lockdowns happened, and the trip was cancelled again. By the time March of 2022 rolled around, I was not going to cancel even if I had to swim there.

One of the things I was looking forward to most was getting back to Yala National Park to photograph leopards and maybe even get to explore blocks of the park that were closed when we were here in 2017. At that time, we could only go to blocks 1 and 5 but not 2-4. So it was high on the list because I wanted to photograph leopards with my new kit of toys: Sony A7R III and Sony 200-600G lens.

twice a day for five days, no leopards. Then finally, we are rewarded with this big male Sri Lankan leopard (Panthera pardus kotiya)

Our last (and first) visit to Yala was spectacular and gave us many excellent photographic opportunities. Unfortunately, leopards were not among those. We hired a jeep and tracker for six days and went out twice daily. Sadly by the time, it was becoming clear that leopards were in a bit of trouble in Sri Lanka. We did not get a sighting of a leopard until the evening of the last night in Yala block 5. It was a fantastic moment, such a release of pent-up energy. I can barely remember the moment. What I remember most is tracking the leopard from the jeep, then a flurry of shutter clicks as the big cat crossed right in front of us, about 10 feet in front of our jeep. Exhilarating!

03/2022 Back in Yala. We are staying at Cylon Wild Safari and I have access to two of the best wildlife guides and trackers Sri Lanka offers. One is Avi, my husband’s nephew, and the other is Indika, the lead tracker from Cylon Wild. Indika is well organized, highly professional and widely respected. He has our permits organized, and we are in the jeep before first light. Yala opens at 6 am, and Indika plans to have us be the first ones in. This turns out to be very important.

Indikas plans work flawlessly, and combined with his expert jeep driving; we were the first ones in Yala when it opened and the first to make it deep enough into the park that you are finally where you have the best chance to see the big cats that run this park. And there she was, sitting and surveying her territory. The leopard we found was in the open and unbothered by us. She sat for 10 minutes and let us photograph her unrushed. I had so much time with her that I got hundreds of photos, all the same. I, unfortunately, wasted the opportunity to get some video. I was just so thrilled that within 10 minutes of entering Yala on the first trip, we had this incredible luck with such a stunning queen of a leopard.

Cloud Iridescence over Horton Plains Sri Lanka

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Cloud Iridescence

Cloud IridescenceThis spectacular site was another reward for a day spent walking the challenging but breathtaking Horton Plains, Sri Lanka.

We were leaving Horton Plains National Park in Sri Lanka tired but exhilarated from our 8 km trek through the park. 8 km isn’t much for me to walk; I can run 21k. Nevertheless, this is at altitude, and the terrain is challenging at junctures. It changes from rocky hill sections to flat grass plains and streams. Horton Plains is nestled at the TOP of Sri Lanka and has some stunning scenery to enjoy. On our walk, I saw whole mixed families enjoying the park, so it is open to people of diverse abilities. There are two different walking paths, one long and one short. 

In Sri Lanka, the sun is always a concern. The temperature and humidity are high. It is not uncommon to be 30c and have 80% humidity. However, up in Horton Plains, I found it even harder. It’s not that it’s hotter, but you are on the top of a mountain, so you feel the sun’s power more and the UV. Sun protection is a must, as is top quality walk shoes. 

Cloud iridescence or irisation is a colourful optical phenomenon that happens when the sun or moon is nearby, and the cloud has very uniform water or ice droplets. Of course, there also needs to be some other interesting magic at play, but it all boils down to we were fortunate to see it. 

As you can see from the photograph, the effect is what looks like a cloud rainbow. The colours can be pastel or vivid and are easier to see when viewing the result from the moon because a bright sun can obscure it. So we got to view the cloud iridescence with vivid colours and a bright sun. Just more magic, thanks to Horton Plains.

This photograph of the Cloud Iridescence over Horton Plains Sri Lanka is available to purchase from my site: Kian Charles Gray Photography https://www.kian.photograph

Finally a day back at the gym

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I love to run. Don’t get a bunion kids. They suck. This is a photo from my first 1/2 Marathon. The Seawheeze. Got it done in 1:55 hours.

It’s been a few weeks since I could run and over a week since I was last at the gym. So good to get back, if even for just a quicky.

As if the hot boys were not enough, and there were several of those. I was treated to a sighting of a restored cool car.

❤️ restored cars.
That’s some sexy muscle

The Sri Lankan leopard (Panthera pardus kotiya)

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The Sri Lankan leopard (Panthera pardus kotiya)
Large male leopard cub photographed in Yala National Park, Sri Lanka, March 2022. You can buy this and many other of my photographs for stock or print photography on my site. Explore the links above or click on this image.

I will never forget this day. However, I could say that about every day I have spent in Sri Lanka. But this day, in particular, was a day that stands out because sightings of leopards had seemingly dried up. The previous day started with a sighting in the park and again later that day. This was a delight to us all for more than just the obvious. When we got to camp, our tracker told us that recent leopard sightings had become extremely rare. He had gone a whole week without seeing one! In Yala, that is very uncommon. It was considered the best place in the world to photograph leopards and still is. However, the population is in decline, and sightings are getting harder. So our luck was uncommon.

This morning and for hours, we had no luck at all—signs in the form of tracks and alarm calls but no sightings. Our tracker, Indika Nettigama, from Cylon Wild Safaris is among the best on the island, so if anyone could track and find the leopard, it was him. Hours and hours go by, and no sightings! Then as we are about to pack it in, our luck turns. We turn a corner, and BAM! A mother leopard and her two large male cubs. They are over a year and about to leave momma. The most stunning sight I have ever been treated to.

A mother leopard and her cubs All life forms accepted the power the mother exuded without question. She only needed to move one step, and tons of metal would be forced to move. It was awe-inspiring. You never know what is just around the corner.

This photo is of one of her large male cubs. You can see he is well cared for and not hurting for resources. Mom must be a fantastic hunter to have raised two cubs, both in magnificent shape. They are over a year old and will be leaving her soon.

Mother leopard and cub (Panthera pardus kotiya), Yala Sri Lanka 2022
The Mother Leopard and one of her near-adult cubs. This and several other photographs are for sale on my site. Just click on the image or in the menu above.

In Yala, it is common to go on safari twice a day. You wake up before the sun, have breakfast, and get out in the jeep. There will be a lineup when the park first opens at 6:30 am. The best trackers will have you there at the front of the line and will have your permits prepaid. Cylon Wild always had this for us, and I will post a photo later that shows exactly how important that is. The second trip out will be in the evening, just before the sun starts to go down. These are your best times to photograph a leopard and the only times you are allowed to be in Yala Nation Park.

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