Sing-along to mark four decades in journalism

by Mahes Perera

Forty years as a photo journalist is a proud achievement for Herbert Perera and to celebrate the occasion he is staging a Sing-along with the popular group Nalin and the Star Combination, which will be held at the Grand Oriental Hotel on Saturday October 8 at 7 p.m. The celebrations are twofold. For, at the event Herbert Perera will be launching his Promotion Company - Herbert Perera Promotions - which will see the company involved in promotion work, organising media conference, advertising, organising and presenting musical shows. He is also hoping to launch a fund for deserving journalists in Sri Lanka.

Forty years is a commendable period of time in being a photo journalist. What made you move into this area and not some other field and how did it all start for you?

'I enjoyed dabbling in photography and to go back in time, it was in 1976 that I was appointed a freelance Photo Journalist for the weekly paper Sun and the weekend paper 'The Weekend'. I was detailed to cover News and Sports for the Sun paper, and for The Weekend, Sports and Fashion. Some time later, in reply to an advertisement in the Daily News, I was interviewed and appointed in 1980 as the Pictures Correspondent for Sri Jayawardenapura, Kotte. Having worked with the Daily News, the Sunday Observer requested me to cover all the Sports in the area.'

Looking back on your career what are the memories you wish to treasure for posterity?

'To go back in time, when the New Parliament was to be built at Kotte, I was asked to cover the laying of the foundation ceremony at which the Crown Prince of Japan Akihito and Princess Akihito were invited by the First Executive President the late J.R. Jayewardene. Along with staff photographers of Lake House the late W. Piyadasa and Roland Perera, we covered all the events at the opening ceremony. I was also asked to cover whatever other events that were planned for that day. It was a pleasure working with the senior photographers and I learnt a lot from them. Later I became the personal photographer of Dr. Anandatissa de Alwis MP for Kotte.'

You were also an active and successful photographer for Fashion shows. How did you move into that area?

'The Sunday Observer asked me to cover Fashion photography for their Fashion page from 1983. So it was enjoyable for me. I got to meet fashion designers and there were many outstanding. The then Chairman of ANCL R. Bodinagoda was pleased with my work and he sent me to cover the first International Fashion Show in Singapore, along with the designer Yrol Jayawardena. He taught me a lot on the finer points of Fashion photography which has held me in good stead.'

What about sports events?

'Yes, I continued with sports. My first International sports event was in Australia and India.

I covered the first Women's World Cup in South Africa in 2005 and went with the National Cricket Team to England, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Zimbabwe and also to the West Indies to cover the ICC Twenty 20 World Cups and the ICC World Cup Matches played in those countries. These memories I'll never forget.'