Sebastian, I Have No Mother and No Father
I was riding a Royal Enfield motorcycle along the west coast of Sri Lanka when I decided to stop at a deserted beach. It was blisteringly hot, and enormous waves were crashing onto the shore.
As I wandered along the sand, enjoying the solitude, I noticed a figure in the distance. He seemed to appear out of nowhere, shimmering in the heat like something from Lawrence of Arabia.
He took an age to reach me.
Eventually, this curious-looking man with wild hair and a long beard approached, smiled and introduced himself in broken English.
"I have no mother. I have no father. My name is Sebastian."
It was such an extraordinary introduction. No hello, no small talk. Just those few words.
I asked if I could photograph him, and he happily agreed. I wanted to position him against the enormous waves breaking along the shoreline, but there was a problem. Sebastian was terrified of getting wet. Every time a wave approached, he'd run away.
Eventually, there was a brief moment of calm, and I managed to get him into position.
And then, almost on cue, an enormous wave exploded behind him.
I pressed the shutter.
It was one of those fleeting moments when everything comes together. The wildness of his appearance, the ferocity of the sea and that extraordinary introduction.
A few moments later, Sebastian wandered off down the beach, and I never saw him again.
I knew almost nothing about him, beyond those few words. But sometimes that's all you need for someone to leave a lasting impression.
Watch the video below
