{
  "id": 18817240,
  "title": "Vajira Wijegunawardane’s journey through Sri Lanka’s wild places",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/07/vajira-wijegunawardanes-journey-through-sri-lankas-wild-places",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-11-07T23:50:29.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Island Sri Lanka",
    "slug": "the-island-sri-lanka",
    "url": "http://island.lk/vajira-wijegunawardanes-journey-through-sri-lankas-wild-places/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Sri Lankan wildlife photographer Vajira Wijegunawardane has spent nearly three decades capturing the country's diverse landscapes and creatures, with his work now featured in Wild Grace – A Celebration of Sri Lanka’s Wildlife and Nature. The nearly 350-page publication is a fine-art photographic endeavor, rather than a mere collection of images. It celebrates the island's rich biodiversity while emphasizing the importance of preserving natural environments for future generations. Wijegunawardane structures the book around changing light qualities, taking readers from dawn to dusk as they journey through various habitats and species. His attention to detail extends to the physical publication, with careful consideration given to paper selection, colour reproduction, printing, binding, and presentation. The ultimate goal is to complement the photographer's vision and enhance the viewing experience. Wijegunawardane will exhibit selected images at the Harold Peiris Gallery, showcasing Sri Lankan and African wildlife in a large-format fine-art format. This exhibition aims to demonstrate how the presentation of an image can fundamentally change the way it is experienced, moving beyond the typical mobile phone or computer screen viewing.",
  "summary": "When a photograph becomes a work of art: By Ifham Nizam In an age when photographs are taken by the millions, stored by the thousands and often forgotten within the depths of digital devices, wildlife photographer Vajira Wijegunawardane believes there is something profoundly important about giving an image a permanent physical form. For him, photography […]",
  "key_points": [
    "Vajira Wijegunawardane spent 30 years photographing Sri Lanka's wildlife.",
    "\"Wild Grace\" is a fine-art photographic celebration of biodiversity.",
    "Exhibition at Harold Peiris Gallery highlights image presentation impact."
  ],
  "editors_take": "Elevating wildlife photography from digital snapshots to a fine-art experience reinforces the vital connection between high-quality aesthetic presentation and the urgent necessity of preserving Sri Lanka's diverse natural habitats.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}