Kalpitya Fishermen, Sri Lanka

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The Kalpitiya Fishermen is series of 18 images. A mix of color and black white images that document the work the fishermen in Kalpitya, Sri Lanka do to make a livelihood.
At first ray of light two rows of men begin to pull large ropes attached to a net submerged in the deep waters of the ocean. It is called traditional net fishing or Ma’al dal fishing. In Kalpitya, this takes place in the months prior to the arrival of the South west monsoons. The pulling of ropes attached to the net begins at the edge of the water in the early hours of sunlight and slowly they march backwards. As the last man reaches the end of the rope, he walks to the front to start all over again. The men work in great synchrony to the beats of their rhythmic chants. Initially the two rows of men are nearly 100m apart as you can see in the initial photographs and as the net draws closer to the beach they get closer. It takes well over an hour or two of real hard work to get the net with their catch out of the waters.