Before applying I knew nothing about Sri Lanka.

Once I found out that was where I was going I read a bit about the history but being there you learn a lot more. Everyone we talked to had been affected by displacement during the civil war and most people had lost multiple family members. 

I was in Sri Lanka from 4 to 15 December, mainly visiting dairy co-ops in Vavuniya in the north of the country, but also a project where Oxfam was educating women to make products from palm trees. As well as documenting Oxfam’s work, we were trying to map out the positive effects so we visited people who’d been impacted by the dairy co-ops in ways you wouldn’t expect. Like, for example, a man who buys milk from the co-op and now has his own yoghurt business and another man who collects milk for his neighbours for a small fee. 

I brought two cameras – a Nikon D700 and a Nikon D600 – and I’m glad I did because one of them – the D600 – broke on the fifth or sixth day. I had a lens on it that I turned too far in the wrong direction and a little piece of plastic broke off in the aperture ring so then my lens wouldn’t connect correctly. I had three lenses: a 50mm prime, a 70-200mm and an 18-35mm and used all three. Different situations called for different approaches. 

I flew from Belfast to London, stopped in London, and then flew to the capital of Sri Lanka, Colombo. I spent the night there and then it was a seven or eight hour drive to the project. Olivia Arthur and Oxfam’s Film and Photography Project Manager Amy Christian were already there working but I was quite jet lagged and out of it so went to sleep and then went out shooting the next day.   

I’ve had professors who were phenomenal photographers but you don’t normally go shooting with them so you don’t see them in action. Being able to watch Olivia at work was fascinating. While Amy was interviewing people, she would look around places. She told me that you never know when there’s going to be something interesting to photograph so you should always be curious. Because photography takes a back seat to collecting stories, it’s a very quiet working practice. Olivia has a presence that can blend in as part of the scene. 

The houses were dark so you really have to hike up the ISO. I was nervous about that because I thought it would make the pictures too grainy but Olivia assured me that the digital camera could handle it. I got some pictures that I probably wouldn’t have taken without that encouragement.

A couple of years back, one of the UK television channels had done a documentary about the civil war that didn’t shed a good light on the military so the military was sensitive to people with cameras. There was always a concern that either we’d be told that we couldn’t continue or that by visiting people we’d be putting them in a difficult situation. But, with the translator’s help, we always made sure that what we were doing was OK. 

There was one incredible woman we visited several times. Her name was Sayantha and she had lost her husband during the civil war and been displaced from her home. She had returned 11 and a half years later with her two daughters and the house was completely destroyed. She owns an Oxfam bull that she uses to breed her cows, which she milks every morning and then works in the rice paddy fields for the rest of the day.

Any extra money she earns she puts towards rebuilding the house. It’s up to one storey now but still has no roof. She and her daughters live in a temporary shelter built onto the side of the foundations. The old house was painted a pale blue so she’s bought pale blue tiles to go into the house when it’s ready. 

I like photographing people’s things and the interiors of their houses. For people who’ve been through such hardship, the things they hold onto are really precious. I found the arrangement of objects that people had in their homes so interesting. I think it can build empathy between people when you see the care someone has put into the objects they value. One woman we visited had a dresser with photos on [see main image] it and her son’s toy aeroplane, which he brought down and started playing with. That was a little insight into their life.

I took 7,000 photos and submitted 400 to Oxfam. Editing was difficult. Because I was nervous about getting it right, I’d often take a lot of pictures of the same thing and choose the best. But I think the luxury of digital is that each frame isn’t as precious. I see myself as someone who likes to gather and capture as much as I can because I enjoy the editing process, that culling down and finding the perfect one. I would say the art is in the edit.

Working freelance you always have this feeling in the back of your head that you’re half faking it and trying to act professional. It’s rewarding to be in a situation like this, with a brief, with your expenses paid. When people put so much faith in you, it improves your confidence. 

Image: Photographer Bes Young.

More Oxfam Photography Prize for Women:

Emily Maccines in Armenia

Ella Dickinson in Chad

Bes was talking to Rachel Segal Hamilton.

For more articles, jobs and opportunities, visit our Photography hub.

All images © Bes Young.