A camera is not alive and cannot breathe until the right cameraman breathes life into the lens.
The world that a cameraman sees with his creative eye is colorful, far different, surrealistic and more natural.
The ‘Youth Observer’ had a chat with photographer Lithira Buwaneka.
He is still 9, studying at Asian Grammar School. Though not mature in the field of photography by years, his creations testified to his maturity in performance. This is why we decided to pen this piece on him. Exploring the field of photography in depth and learning the basics from his father, Lithira has showcased his brilliant performances.
Childhood and creations
Born and bred in Wellampitiya, he lives his life with an adherence to aesthetic subjects. When he was in grade 3, he displayed his preference in aesthetic subjects including dancing, drumming and music.
Knowing Lithira’s future path, his parents motivated him to do aesthetic subjects at school.
“My parents never forced me to choose subjects. They allowed me to select what I love to do. Hence, I had enough freedom for my studies. I have been studying dancing since grade 1. My dance teacher is Prasanna Indrajith. I am indebted to my guru deva. When I was in Grade 8, I wore ‘Ves’ costume, thanks to my guru deva Indrajith sir,” said Lithira.
To my question about the reason for his passion for aesthetic subjects, he stressed that it is significant for students to do aesthetic subjects to maintain the psychological peace in mind. Lithira is not only a photographer but also a content creator. He is making short films with meaningful content.
Photography
“My father is Pradeep Pathmaperuma and my mother is Ruwani Pathmaperuma. My father is a well-seasoned wild life photographer. He is my motivation. I saw my father taking photos with his camera. I used to travel with him, carrying a camera.”
Sri Lanka’s highest International Base Jump event was held at Lotus Tower on the 12th and the 14th of last month.
The event attracted not only the Sri Lankans but also the foreigners. Capturing some pictures of teeth-clenching moments of Lotus Tower jumps, Lithira rocked social media platforms recently. Surprisingly, impressed by those images, an official at Lotus Tower has offered Lithira an opportunity to cover the entire event.
Artistic skills
Artistic skills set photographers apart from others. Quality of creations depends on the photographer’s artistic skills. With the knowledge of placing and arranging visual elements, controlling the exposure and arranging the subjects in appealing poses, photographers should be able to produce great images.
Time management
The most important factor for a photographer is patience. Photographers should be very patient to capture rare picturesque sceneries.
Sometimes even for hours, days, weeks and months, they have to wait with their creative eyes awakened.
His message
“If you wish to be professional in any field, you have to identify your skills and improve them. Don’t let others kill your skills.”
