Confines of Galle Fort

For photographer Panduka de Silva, photography over the years has morphed from being a mere hobby to being a passion. Previously a visiting lecturer at the University of Colombo, de Silva had many opportunities to visit Galle, three to four times a year with his students and as a result, he accumulated a great number of photos of the Galle Fort.

When the organisers of the HSBC Galle Literary Festival 2012 approached the Photographic Society of Sri Lanka, of which he is a part, asking them to host an exhibition of their photographs at the Festival this year, de Silva felt that it was the perfect opportunity for him to exhibit a couple of his many photos as well.

An exhibition of 110 images of the Galle Fort and surroundings photographed by the members of the Photographic Society of Sri Lanka (PSSL) in monochrome and color are currently being exhibited at the Maritime Museum of the Galle Fort at GLF 2012.

The photographic society is the oldest society for photography, dating back to 1906 and is housed at the Lionel Wendt Art Centre Colombo. The PSSL holds annual international exhibitions, conducts photographic courses and has regular photography related expeditions, workshops and seminars and is also affiliated to the Photographic society of America (PSA).

“Since I am into teaching, I go into very technical aspects and compositions and this is reflected in my work,” explained de Silva, who was also present at GLF 2012.

In addition to submitting some of his photos for the exhibition, the professional photographer has also compiled a book titled ‘Confines of Galle Fort,’ a collection of his photographs along with some background information and historical insights about the Fort. The yet unpublished book can also be viewed at the Maritime Museum.