Winning pictures, a tribute to his homeland
View(s):Aninda ‘Andy’ Samarasena, whose portfolio of images includes the likes of celebrities Morgan Freeman, Michael Bolton, Gladys Knight, Olivia Newton-John, Laura Bush and Lankan movie stars, had his recent travel photographs adjudged a winner in the ‘Winning Images 2023’ competition organised by the New Times news magazine in San Luis, Obispo, California. His image of the Gal Viharaya (featured on our Magazine cover) was the winner in the travel category with another of his entries – the Stilt Fisherman being placed second, also in the same category.
“The thrill only grew as they revealed the cover of their 2023 Winning Images publication, adorned with the picture of Gal Viharaya. I felt immense pride not only as a photographer but as a Sri Lankan, knowing that they chose our lesser-known country and its rich culture and beauty to grace their publication’s cover,” Andy told the Sunday Times in an email interview. He used the Canon R5 mirrorless camera body and a range of Canon L series lenses for these images.
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- Galle lighthouse (left) and Sigiriya: Andy captures the beauty of Sri Lanka’s landscape
“Seeing our Buddhist culture being recognised and appreciated truly showcased the beauty and depth of our heritage. It’s moments like these that make me even more proud of where I come from.”
A banking professional, Andy, an old boy of Nalanda College, attended the University of California, Santa Barbara, Kaplan University and New York Institute of Photography. Migrating to the USA in the early 80s, he settled in Santa Barbara County, California and is currently a Vice President and Regional Manager at Community West Bank. Andy married his high school sweetheart in 1987, and they have two children, Dylan and Sonali.
His passion for photography, he says, was sparked by a dear friend, Nalandian Kevin Cooray who would accompany Andy and his wife on countless trips. “Although Kevin’s passing in the 1990s was heartbreaking, his influence on my love for photography remains etched in my heart as a cherished memory. I can still vividly recall the joy of developing and printing those precious photographs in Kevin’s darkroom.”
Andy initially focused on portrait and wedding photography and then widened his scope to encompass landscape and wildlife photography, which he says allowed him to showcase the breathtaking beauty of the natural world.
He has also been in film production, working on projects such as ‘Sihina Lowak Soyaa’ with director Roy De Silva and Sumana Amarasinghe as well as short films ‘Inside the Grace’ and ‘Annie Valentine’.
Visiting Sri Lanka in March this year, he set out to take some images which he hoped to exhibit at the Sri Lanka Photo Exhibition at the University of California, Los Angeles in April. Organized by the Sri Lanka Photographic Art Society and the
Sri Lankan Consulate in Los Angeles, this exhibition featured seven talented photographers, including Andy. The enthusiastic response he received spurred him to submit the photos to the competition organised by the New Times, a premier news magazine.
“It is often easy for people to take their own homeland for granted. Revisiting, after an extended period away, I was reminded of the truth behind the praises of others. Sri Lanka truly is a paradise, a stunning place that captivates with its cultural heritage, awe-inspiring nature, incredible wildlife, breathtaking scenery, and remarkable diversity. It is a reminder to appreciate and cherish the wonders that exist in our own backyard,” Andy says.
He has taken part in several exhibitions not only in California but around the world, in recent years – “Our Amazing Planet” at the Israeli photography convention in Tel Aviv in 2019, the “Memorable Portraits” exhibition at Qlick Gallery in Amsterdam, Netherlands also in 2019, the “Amazing Architecture” exhibition at Art Market Budapest in Hungary in 2020, among them.
While photography has absorbed him for some 30 years, Andy is also a dedicated blood donor who has made over 200 donations, his focus primarily being on donating platelets, which can greatly assist cancer patients and newborns in need. Cricket and baseball he enjoys greatly too, but now more from the sidelines, he quips.
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