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Sunday, 3 July 2005  
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Landmarks

by Rikaza Hassan

As a child of eleven, the son of a professional photographer, Tharaka used to ask his dad to let him try out his photographic equipment, but all he was entrusted with was the flash lights when he accompanied his father to weddings and such.

As he got a little older and was deemed to be mature enough to handle the camera, Tharaka began by taking photographs of everything and anything that he saw; animals, aeroplanes and other moving objects were his favourite as they were the hardest to capture.

As he grew older, his hobby turned into a passion that compelled him to get clicking wherever he went, the camera even accompanied him to work on a daily basis. His pastime has collated him with such an immense collection of photographs that he is now putting a section of them on display at the Art Gallery from July 22 to 24.

Titled 'Maga Salakunu' it will feature nearly 200 of his photographs of wildlife, nature and pictures of the historical and cultural aspects of our country. They are pictures from his personal collection, that he has amassed over the past three years. "I have a couple of friends together with whom, I make around five or six trips each year to various parts of the country, the rurals mostly. I usually go to Sigiriya, Anuradhapura, Polonnaruva, Galle, Kandy; Hatton and Nuwara Eliya are the places I like visiting best."

He says he is very grateful to his friends because at least two of them well make sure to accompany him on any trip, no matter the work they have.

His interests are however, as diverse as they are numerous. He is currently employed in the banking sector while he i currently studying for his LLB degree, "sort of as a professional qualification to have."

He is also an artist, being involved in painting right up to the end of school as well as a singer. "I don't sing any more though, I don't think I can any more." The main subject that he offered at his Advanced Levels was biology because "I really like it." Tharaka is also an amateur astronomist; he holds lectures for both students and teachers especially, since it is a subject in the school curriculum. He has been teaching the subject for about nine years now, having started at school.

"I have absolutely no professional qualification in photography. I've learnt all that I know, from experience and books of course.

I still read books on photo technique, keep myself updated with the internet." He is planning to offer for the Degree in Photography at the New York Institute of Photography.

And what is the type of camera that this talented capturer of moments uses? "Oh I have a Pentec and an Olympus that are from the seventies," he says with a laugh. "They're pretty old, but then they also work very well." He has no immediate plans to change his camera for a newer version, neither has he any idea of going digital. In his opinion the digital camera is like the human eye, automatically setting itself to the light intensity and the surroundings. In an analog version however, one has to manually adjust the settings and he believes that it is this, that defines the profession.

Future Plans? "I want to concentrate more on commercial photography like weddings and fashion shoots."

He also wishes to learn much more about his love. And maybe, just maybe "I'd go professional when my dad retires from the business." He however has absolutely no plans to leave Sri Lanka, he emphasises, other than on a photographic expedition to the beautiful regions in the rest of the world. Full of enthusiasm for work and life in general, together with his ample talent that is very obvious to anyone who has seen his pictures, Tharaka Sampath Perera most certainly a long way to go, a whole lot more to accomplish.

This 25 year old however has all the determination and the ability to navigate the twists and turns on the road ahead and get himself to the place where he wishes to be.

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