Tharaka Bibulewitharana
1. Congratulations on winning in the New York Photography Awards! Can you share a little about yourself, what inspired you to pursue photography, and how has your journey evolved since your first shot?
I am Tharaka Bibulewitharana, a contemporary photographer based in Sri Lanka. My practice emerged gradually through an interest in how bodies, structures, and landscapes coexist within shared spatial systems.
What began as an informal engagement developed into a sustained mode of observation, informed by minimalism, environmental study, and an interest in the quiet mechanics of place. My work now spans nude photography, urban minimalism, and long-term documentary research.
2. Can you share the story or inspiration behind your award-winning piece? How does winning this award make you feel about your journey in photography?
The image belongs to an extended study of the Sevanagala sugarcane environment. Made during an early phase of fieldwork, it examines the spatial distribution of bodies within an open landscape, framed against a dominant sky. The work is less concerned with narrative than with arrangement and tension. Receiving the award affirms the relevance of observational, non-descriptive photographic approaches within contemporary practice.
3. How do you decide which photo to submit for a competition?
I am drawn to images that resist immediate interpretation. A photograph that retains its complexity through repeated viewing—independent of context—is one that I consider suitable for submission.
4. What first made you pick up a camera?
Photography provided a means to engage with ordinary environments with precision and distance. It allowed for a measured form of looking that was not tied to expected meaning.
5. What’s your favorite type of photography, and why do you love it?
I work primarily in contemporary nude photography, urban minimalism, and long-term documentary investigations. These modes allow for a focus on form, structure, and spatial behavior, rather than prescribed narrative content.
6. What’s your go-to camera setup, and why does it work best for your projects? What’s your favorite feature?
I use a Sony A6600 Mirrorless Camera. Its flexibility supports both field-based documentary work and controlled minimal compositions. It allows the process to remain unobtrusive and responsive.
7. If someone looked at your work, what’s the one thing you’d want them to feel?
I aim to create a pause in perception—an interval in which the viewer considers the image without relying on narrative cues. Ambiguity is intentional.
8. What was the most challenging part of capturing your winning shot?
The challenge lay in identifying a coherent visual structure within an unpredictable field environment. The alignment of bodies, ground, and sky appeared briefly, requiring immediate recognition rather than intervention.
9. Is there a specific place or subject that inspires you the most?
Peripheral and transitional environments—labor fields, industrial margins, and reduced urban forms—provide ongoing material for study. These spaces reveal patterns that unfold across long durations.
10. Who or what has been your biggest influence in photography?
My practice is shaped by the act of returning: revisiting sites and allowing the visual logic of a place to reveal itself incrementally. This sustained engagement forms the core of my influence.
11. What message would you share to inspire photographers to participate in photography awards, and what advice would you give to help them excel in the competition?
Present work that reflects the direction of your practice rather than the expectations of a competition. A coherent visual language develops across time and should guide the selection.
12. What’s one piece of advice for someone just starting in photography?
Work consistently, observe patiently, and allow your method to emerge through practice. Direction evolves; it should not be rushed.
13. What role do editing and post-processing play in your creative workflow?
Editing establishes coherence across a project. It refines tonal and structural qualities while preserving the essential conditions present at the moment of capture.
14. How do you see technology, like AI, influencing the future of photography and your own approach?
AI may broaden technical possibilities, but conceptual intention remains the defining element of photographic practice. Tools evolve; the underlying approach endures.
15. If you could photograph anything or anyone in the world, what would it be?
I would continue pursuing long-term bodies of work—nude studies, minimal urban configurations, and extended documentary environments. My interest lies in continued investigation rather than singular destinations.
