To gain key insight into the conditions which awaited me and also opportunities which may arise to take photographs, I researched portfolios of photographers who’d visited Sri Lanka to visualised what some of the things I’d be doing would look like. Especially through the artistic eye of a photographer compared to the typical images which a google search would display. Both collections which I looked at were found on LensCulture, I found this platform incredibly helpful throughout the entirety of the project to visualise ideas and browse through, learning increasingly more about the potential photography provides.
Conor Phelan – Sri Lankan Adventure
An example of that would be through the photographer shown above, Conor Phelan, who’s project titled ‘Sri Lankan Adventure’ followed him as he travelled throughout the country. The two images shown were from two places I knew I’d be going whilst out there, on the famous Ella to Kandy train journey and on a safari. It was useful to see the images he’d been able to create within these situations and I liked how despite his photographs all being completely different, they still had the ability to flow freely and aesthetically within each other.
KAMAL X – The Beautiful: Oakland to D.C.
This collection of images, by KAMAL X, felt particularly poignant as they show what was happening during the Black Lives Matter protests in D.C. through the lens of a protestor. It became essential to research photographs taken at demonstrations while deciding whether to include the images I’d captured during the protests against Sri Lankan president Gotabaya Rajapksa. It was only after reading reflections from KAMAL X himself, that I knew sharing the beautiful images of this tropical country without involving the hardships they were facing would be a huge disservice. “I wanted to shed light on the love and nobility that was being underrepresented. I wanted people to feel the heart of what this fight for justice and equality is really about.” On the day I captured the photos, all social media and messaging platforms were blocked within Sri Lanka, no one inside the country could share what was happening. It felt necessary to share, even in this small way, the raw images I’d taken, to show what the protest I passed by, in Hikkaduwa, actually looked like that day.
Bibliography
Phelan, C. (n.d.) Sri Lankan Adventure. [online] Lensculture. Available at: https://www.lensculture.com/conor-phelan?modal=project-410155
X, K. (2020). The Beautiful: Oakland to D.C. [online] Lensculture. Available at: https://www.lensculture.com/kamal-x?modal=project-1402917