I have been to the Buddha Birth Day Festival enough times now that I know what to expect, and knowing what to expect has changed how I photograph it. In the early years I covered everything — the procession, the stage, the food stalls, the altar. By 2013 I was more selective. I came looking for specific images rather than comprehensive documentation.
The water sprinkling ceremony produced the image I was after. A senior monk moving through the crowd, flicking water from a branch while holding a white ceramic cup, surrounded by other monks in orange. I got in close and used a fast shutter to freeze the droplets mid-air. The droplets are what make the image — without them it is a portrait of a monk, which is fine. With them, it is a moment that could not have been captured a fraction of a second earlier or later.
On the main ceremony: The indoor ceremony has grown each year. By 2013 it was filling a large arena — the shot from the upper level shows thousands of attendees holding small blue lights while lanterns hang from the rafters and the altar glows at the far end. That wide image is about scale. The event is genuinely large.
On the altar: The three Buddha statues against the coloured silk drapes were already photogenic before anyone arrived. I spent time before the ceremony began working out the best angle — the slight diagonal that creates depth without losing the symmetry.
On the cultural performances: The Chinese opera performer was the standout of the stage program. The costume work is extraordinary up close — every element of the headdress, mask, and robe is deliberate — and the performer moved with the particular fluency that comes from years of practice.
On the quieter things: The calligraphy demonstration at the outdoor stalls produced one of the most straightforward images of the day: an elderly man and a young girl, side by side, both holding brushes. The concentration on both faces was identical.
More Buddha Birth Day Festival coverage: Buddha Birth Day Festival 2011 · Buddha Birth Day Festival 2012 · Buddha Birth Day Festival 2015