Blessings and Gratitude
Hailing from the small island nation of Sri Lanka, Blessed with abundant wildlife and beautiful landscapes, I am thankful to the Almighty Creator for giving me the opportunity to be surrounded with nature from a very young age.
Family Background
Born to a family of Gem Merchants and Jewelers, it was naturally expected of me to take this craft as my only passion. But from the age of 15, I had always enjoyed and had been attracted to the outdoors, perhaps owing to some long-lost gene I had acquired from one of my forefathers. To this day, I do not know who it could have possibly come from. Perhaps it was from my father’s side, he too loved to travel and documented his journeys through his small Olympus Camera. As a boy, I still remember how fascinated I was by his camera and was intrigued with the slide shows that he presented on a projector of pictures he had taken on his travels locally and overseas.
Mission
The leopards in Sri Lanka are currently challenged by the growing prospects of mass tourism in the country. It faces several challenges even whilst living within our protected National Parks and in other unprotected areas like the estate and tea sectors around the country. Through my photography, I wish to help save our leopards by creating awareness about them and their challenges to the rest of the world.
Photography
Venturing deep into photography made me take several bold steps based on my instincts, which made me realize that apart from my work, it had become my true passion.
I love to photograph big cats, and the leopard is my favorite. I remember the first time I photographed a leopard during my teens on my first trip to Yala National Park in the deep southeast of my country. I was instantly captivated and have since never looked back.
I want to travel the world in search of big cats and unique wildlife. My first overseas trip was to India 15 years ago, to photograph the majestic Tiger at Kanha. Then, a few years later, I visited the Masai Mara. Of recent, I have been to South Africa in search of Leopards and to Hungary to photograph some feathered friends.
I have always loved the African continent the most and I feel that it has the best of both worlds and a wildlife photographer’s paradise, It is here that I hope to concentrate my photography in the future.
Even today, I still work towards strengthening my skills in photography, searching for ways to develop a distinct style. I am constantly learning and challenging myself in doing so. I love to photograph animals in their natural habitats and to show animals as a small part of the bigger picture.
