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| Pic by Chandana Wijesinghe |
“It was drizzling, but I kept waiting as I
sensed that something was going on. I could see nothing but subtle movements of
a crocodile. Water rippled and I watched as the crocodile head rose up. The crocodile
had already killed the deer by then although I did not see it initially. While
I waited a lot of vehicles which stopped by, the passengers peeped out and left
because nothing was happening. But I held my horses, as I sensed something. By
the time I shot this picture everyone was gone. All it took was a fraction of
second for the crocodile to rip the skin off the deer,” Surgeon Rear
Admiral Lalith Ekanayake explained the moment he captured the extraordinary
wildlife picture which bagged the prize at the Sanctuary Wildlife Awards 2013.
The Sanctuary
Asia Wildlife photography competition is a highly competitive international wildlife photography event
held in India.
Dr. Lalith Ekanayaka was the first Sri Lankan to achieve this feat. The 14th
annual Sanctuary Wildlife Awards was held on December 6 at the National Centre
for Performing Arts (NCPA) in Mumbai.
Apart from this recent award
Dr. Ekanayake has also won many accolades and medals in wildlife and nature
photography in both national and international arena including the UPI Gold
Medal, PSSL Bronze Medal and winner in monochrome (57th
International Photographic Society of Sri Lanka Contest 2012 Sri Lanka), first place
Wildlife category and third places in mammals and birds - Chaaya Wild and
Etisalat Photo contest 2012, Bronze Medal - Trierenberg Super Circuit Contest
Austria 2013, Editor’s choice, photo of the day and photo of the month –
National Geographic Photo Contests 2011 and 2012, third and fourth places
Sanctuary Asia Photo Contest India 2011 and Runner-up - Wexas Travel
International photography contest 2012 United Kingdom.
Unofficial photographer
Dr. Ekanayake began his
career as a photographer while he was at medical school. “I managed to get my
first camera while I was at the Medical
College. It was a film
camera and with time I became the unofficial photographer of the University
events,” he said.
After receiving his early
education at Maliyadeva
College, Kurunegala, he
graduated with an MBBS in 1985. “In 1982, I became the first medical student to
have enlisted in the armed services. After being appointed for the armed
services I purchased my first camera. Working in the navel bases around the
country at a time when the war was at its peak, I used the opportunity to pursue
on my interest in wildlife photography,” he explained. In 1995, Dr. Ekanayake left
to Australia for
postgraduate training in gastroenterology, where he also obtained a
postgraduate diploma in diving and hypebaric medicine, a field in which he
remains among the foremost practitioners in Sri Lanka. He works as a Rear
Admiral serving as the Director of Medical Services at the Sri Lanka Navy.
“We traveled widely in Australia whenever
we got a day off. There was ample opportunity to take photographs; not much of
wildlife but landscapes and people,” Dr. Ekanayake said. After returning to Sri Lanka
in the later part of 2000, he traveled across the country along with whilst upgrading
his camera.
Enthusiasm
“At that time Yala became my
second home. Even during the war I didn’t stop visiting Yala, in fact, I bought
a place closer to the park to avoid the difficulties,” he explained his
enthusiasm he had as an amateur. “Bundala, Vilpaththu and Singharaja
were my favorite places. There are so many other places which hold a plenty of
opportunities for wildlife photographers such as Kala Wewa, Mannar and
Talaimannar,” he added. Outside Sri Lanka
Dr. Ekanayaka admires the wildlife opportunities in India
and Africa. Each year he makes time to visit
at least two of these countries.” he iterated.
Until 2010 he was taking
photographs just to share among his friends. It changed when one of his pictures
was selected for a calendar of a leading company. After that he complied a
coffee table book; The Untamed
Road with
a collection of his Sri Lankan wildlife photographs. “That was a turning
point,” he said. In May 2013, he published his second book; Animal Verses along
with an exhibition where all the copies sold out within four months. Parallel
to this he also participated in various exhibitions and competitions. “I am
still learning and I make mistakes. But I realized I have something in my
photographs, that’s why I participate in these exhibitions.”
Dr. Ekanayake is also a
wildlife conservationist. He dedicates his achievements towards the protection
of fauna and flora in Sri
Lanka.” Natural wildlife emanates from the
evolution. Humans cannot make that, it’s a natural process. Many developed
countries don’t have this gift. They can have animal sanctuaries but lack the
natural beauty. If it is gone, it’s gone forever,” he pointed out. “With
development in the country, there is a certain amount of destruction going on.
You cannot stop that. But there is a way that you can minimize the destruction.
My effort is to make that connection and to get people in the process
protection.”
Wildlife protection
He stated that programs to
advocate for protection of wildlife currently in Sri Lanka is not sufficient and it occurred
due to the lack of mutual agreement among the parties involved in wildlife
protection. “Absolutely not enough. There are people who are keen since they
know the gravity of environment protection. These are individual efforts. Sporadic
discussions and publishing a paper isn’t enough. We all need to work together. We
don’t need foreign experts. Many people who have the knowledge are staying
silent, because they think it’s of no use,” he stressed. “I think it’s high
time to do something. Mainly because Sri Lanka is a small country,” he
said.
Sri Lanka is focused on ecotourism in this era of development. Dr
Ekanayake said that conservation and protection should come first when wildlife
is used as a way of income. “Though Sri Lanka is a very small country, once
in the wild you can spot elephants, leopards, and dolphins and whales at sea.
Tell me one country in the world, where you can see all these animals without
traveling long and far? He posed a question. “Yala block 1 has the highest
density of leopards. The whole world knows this and that makes it even more marketable,”
he said. “The problem is that we can market it, but there should be a plan for
protection. Now since the war is over I suppose we more time to focus on
conservation,” he reiterated.
He also spoke of the unique skills required by
a wildlife photographer. “Wildlife photography uses only 30 percent of the basics
of photography. The other 70 percent is something you don’t have a control over.
Once in the jungle, you can control your camera but you cannot control
environment, light or the animal’s behavior. Hence you need to be prepared and
expect the unexpected,” he explained. “You shouldn’t also disturb the wildlife.
Your entrance itself is a disturbance. Minimize it, as we are merely visitors and
we cannot dominate their territory,” he added.
According to him when a
wildlife photographer upgrades his skills, he gains the ability to plan his
photographs despite the difficulties he has to face out in the wild. “Some
shots are rare but if you’re improving, you can be creative about it. That’s how
photographers win competitions. Anybody with a camera can take picture of a
flying bird. But with the advanced skills the photographer would learn how to
get the bird’s motion in the picture,” he said.
In conclusion, he said that
there are abundant opportunities for budding wildlife photographers in Sri Lanka.
“There are classes and programs. There are lectures of talented senior wildlife
photographers. I always encourage learners to participate in these. But that alone
is insufficient. The most important thing is to make your presence known.
Utilize your knowledge since learning the theory isn’t enough. Explore places, near
and far. Improve your own techniques. This is the bottom line of wildlife
photography.” Ekanayake said.
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