WNPS lecture: Role of photography as a conservation tool
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Wildlife photographer Lakshitha Karunarathna
Internationally known wildlife photographer Lakshitha Karunarathna will present ‘Wired for the Wild: Innovation, Empathy & the New Age of Wildlife Photography’ as this month’s Nations Trust Wildlife and Nature Protection Society (WNPS) monthly lecture at 6 p.m. on June 19 at the Jasmine Hall of the BMICH.
Sony International Brand Ambassador and a tea taster by trade, Lakshith who believes in the power of photography to ignite meaningful conservation change will take the audience on a journey that bridges art, technology and conservation.
Lakshitha’s distinctive, artistic approach to wildlife photography has earned him global acclaim, including the Grand Prizes at the Nature’s Best Photography Windland Smith Rice Awards and Africa Photographer of the Year, a Special Award from Wildlife Photographer of the Year by the Natural History Museum in London, and two prestigious headline wins from the Sanctuary Asia Wildlife Awards among others. He is a Fellow of the Royal Photographic Society in the UK — and the first and only Sri Lankan to receive this honour.
With years of immersion in wild landscapes from the remote forests of Sri Lanka to the vast plains of Africa, Lakshitha will share how today’s wildlife photography is undergoing a quiet revolution. He explores how cutting-edge camera technologies, advanced features and creative field improvisations are enabling photographers to go beyond documentation and instead create powerful, immersive visual narratives.
A significant portion of the lecture will be dedicated to the process of innovation in the field –from designing custom rigs and modifying everyday tools to solve real-world challenges, to experimenting with unconventional angles and perspectives to capture wildlife in ways that evoke both wonder and urgency.
A Dangerous Addiction: In the eastern district of Ampara, a Sri Lankan elephant scavenges at a waste site. (“Sanctuary Wildlife Photography Awards 2024 – Editor’s Choice)
But beyond the gear and the craft, this lecture digs deeper into the why. Lakshitha will present a series of carefully selected images, each backed by a compelling backstory – sometimes adventurous, sometimes heartbreaking –that exemplify how images can serve as a force for education, empathy and action.
A central theme of the session is the role of photography as a conservation tool as Lakshitha shares how his camera has become not just a storytelling device, but a medium for advocacy and scientific awareness.
The lecture will also touch on how to balance creativity with conservation priorities, how to approach vulnerable species and human-wildlife conflict zones with sensitivity, and how visual storytellers can be allies to researchers and policy makers.
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