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It was almost a family affair as Ranjith de Silva, his son and two daughters all won awards at the WNPS wildlife photographer competition 2006

It was a moment of great joy at the Harold Peries Gallery last month when the winners of the WNPS Wildlife Photographer 2006 awards were announced.

An annual event designed to promote the art of wild life photography, the competition aims to encourage people to appreciate and value the country’s natural beauty and wild life and create awareness among the young.

“I felt really honoured to have won this award,” said Ranjith de Silva who won the WNPS Wildlife Photographer 2006 award and also the Mammals Category 2006. As a father, Ranjith however, felt even more elated when his daughter Gihanthi bagged the WNPS Junior Wildlife Photographer 2006 Award and his son Gihan won in the Birds Category 2006. Ranjith’s youngest daughter Shihanthi too received a Highly Commendable Entry award, so it was something of a family affair.A photographer and craft painter by profession, Ranjith took to photography as a pastime, when he was just nine years old. His late father Owen de Silva, the owner of the OLGA studio Kiribathgoda, had been an award-winning photographer.

Ranjith uses digital cameras with 800mm, 500mm, 300mm lenses. “I usually carry five cameras with me because sometimes you don’t have time to change the lenses as the animals movements are really fast. Being a professional photographer means you have to take the maximum out of your camera,” he said.

Ranjith has also been awarded the Gold Medal for the best colour photograph printed on Kodak paper conducted by the Photographic Society of Sri Lanka, Best Colour photograph printed on Kodak paper at the exhibition organized by the National Photographic Art Society of Sri Lanka, Pilsner Urquell International Photographic competition September 2006 in USA, and LUCIE award for the best photograph in the Pets and Wildlife section. His third solo exhibition- Nature in Focus 2 will be held on October 13, 14 and 15 at Lionel Wendt’s Harold Peiris Gallery.

Ranjith’s talents have no doubt been passed on to his children- he has been their source of inspiration.
Seventeen-year-old Gihanthi, a student of Royal Institute speaking about her maiden award said that wildlife photography was her hobby.“I was so shocked when they announced my name at the award ceremony as I never had expectations of winning,” she said.

For 19-year-old Gihan, a past pupil of Ananda College, presently following a degree at the American National College, the award was a dream come true.

He began photography at the age of 14 and his areas of interest are wildlife and landscapes. He won seven certificates for commended photos in 2002 and 2003 at the same exhibition and won the first prize in 2005 in an islandwide school level competition.