A PHOTOGRAPHER from Bolton is about to embark on a six week trip to Sri Lanka to capture the country’s wildlife, landscape and culture.
Brian White, 56, from Deane, has been a member of the Bolton photography club for 12 years and this is the latest in a number of trips he has taken to document exotic places around the world.
In his time photographing nature, he has been to the Amazon and Mekong rivers, seen mountain gorillas in Rwanda and made the more than 3000 mile long journey from Cape Town to Victoria Falls and back in just seven weeks.
This trip is set to take him right off the tourist trail again, travelling the country by public transport and trekking through various national parks.
He explained how it is a change from previous trips: “I’m looking forward to it immensely, there’s something different about this, it’s not big reserves, there will be more close-up and flora shots, the only problem is carrying all the cameras and tripods as I walk through the parks.”
Over the course of the trip he is hoping to photograph the island’s array of plant and bird life, as well as finding leopards in the national parks he plans to visit.
He said: “It’s a very biodiverse place with loads of bird species you wouldn’t find anywhere else.
“It’s the perfect place for my work, there’s very few other places in the world where you can photograph so many different species.”
Mr White uses his experiences to give lectures on travel photography and the importance of protecting natural areas from the dangers of poaching and development.
His love for travel photography began 30 years ago when he took a bus trip from Bolton to Greece, then onto Alexandria in Egypt, from where he journeyed up the Nile.
He explained that over the years he has seen increased protection from poaching provided by national parks, but increasingly the danger comes from human development intruding into what were once natural habitats.
Sri Lanka is at risk from foreign plant species, which can affect native plants and animals, the number of these had gone up by three times since 1978 according to the Invasive Species Specialist Group.
To see more of Mr White’s work and to find out lecture dates when he returns from Sri Lanka go to www.brianwhitephotography.co.uk.
By Matt Henderson
@MattHenderson92
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