West Phillips

Sri Lanka: Tymo, part 1

Added 2021-08-08 13:01:02 +0000 UTC

My whole Sri Lankan trip and the parts and pieces coming together to make the trip a reality were long and complex, so I'll spare the details surrounding it. I'll just keep it short by telling you that it was a 'work' trip with clients from Beijing.

Now, let's talk about Tymo! While this trip was a long time in the making, I didn't actually know I'd be going until a week or so before hand. That meant I didn't have much time to search in advance to have models in place for when I'm there, so I really lucked out with Tymo. He's one of, if not THE top male model in Sri Lanka and 1 of only 2 guys I ended up shooting there. We chatted via Instagram, discussed ideas and made a plan. He was punctual, professional, eager, photogenic (to say the least) and incredibly friendly and down to earth. I don't know why, but for some reason I was intimidated prior to meeting him. As I was sitting in the hotel lobby waiting for him, I had no idea what to expect. He arrives and right away I'm sort of taken aback by his sexy, brooding look and piercing eyes. He flashes a big smile, shakes my hand and off we go.

We started our day of shooting at the boutique luxury hotel where I was staying (on my client's dime, not mine). We did some shots in and around the pool and then left the property to go take photos elsewhere in the city. After a couple hours of fighting the hustle and bustle of the city and the heat, we decided to return to the hotel for some final shots and to just relax. All in all it was one of my best days of the trip and Tymo and I have stayed in frequent touch since then. I keep promising him I'm going to return to his island before too long. Here's to hoping I do!

Colombo, April 2018