Lalin Jinasena, a designer and hotelier, talks about his love for photography, his new art gallery at Raffles Hotel Arcade, and near-death experiences he has endured to get the perfect shot.

 

Whether it’s designing interiors, acquiring and turning a 200-year-old mansion into a multi award-winning boutique hotel or launching a smart shopper mobile application, there’s one underlying thread in all the endeavours of serial entrepreneur Lalin Jinasena: fresh, unique perspectives.

In July 2014, the young CEO of Lalin Michael Jinasena & Co, which comprises companies he built up himself as well as companies built up by his father Nihal Jinasena under Jinasena Group, unveiled Lalin Fine Art Photography Gallery at Raffles Hotel Arcade. Of all his ventures, it is this latest one that gives the public an intimate look at the creative pursuits of the Sri Lanka native who resides in Singapore and Colombo.

One of the newest additions to Singapore’s art scene, the gallery casts light on Lalin’s childhood passion which has grown into a 25-year journey of documenting the earth’s most inspiring sights.

1. What sparked your interest in photography?

My father is a hobby photographer, and we used to visit wildlife reserves in Sri Lanka around six times a year. I was around eight years old when I asked him to teach me about photography. He gave me his Nikon FE2 Camera and taught me the basics. My first subjects were wild elephants, as there were so many in the wild and they were my favourite animals to photograph. 

My father was my mentor. He shared a very honest critique of my work. He would tell me the positives and the negatives. This helped me to develop my skills. I gained a deeper appreciation for photography and acquired an eye for detail. I continued to teach myself different techniques by trial and error.

2. What are your favourite subjects today? 

I love photographing wildlife – leopards and elephants are incredible to capture. The people I meet during my travel are also fascinating. I love beautiful landscapes but my current obsession is beautiful cloud formations.

 

3. What’s your signature photographic style?

I shoot a lot of silhouettes by photographing directly at the sun. I enjoy indulging in different types of photography because I wasn't formally trained and enjoy the freedom to experiment with light.

4. In your opinion, can a great photo be planned?

There are inspiring photographs which are created, and placed together in a studio, or a set up. Most inspiring photographs happen naturally. It is a lot to do with being at the right place at the right time, luck, and the foresight to recognise that a special moment is about to happen and being ready to capture it.

The inspiration in a photograph could be just a look, a smile, a moment between two people or animals. You could miss it in the blink of an eye. However, getting into that situation or location where you can capture great images does take a certain amount of planning and travelling. It's hard to get inspiring images in your backyard, although, not impossible.

5. How far or to what extent have you gone for that perfect shot? 

I had a hut in one of the jungles in Sri Lanka, where I used to spend a lot of time on my own, simply living there and photographing. When I found out there was a giant crocodile in the river next to where I was living, I tied a goat to a tree and set myself up, ready to photograph the crocodile storming out of the river and catching the goat. As I said, setting up of “perfect photography moments" rarely works out, and to the goat’s fortune the crocodile never showed up. The goat remained my pet after that. On hindsight, I would have regretted had that goat been eaten on my account, so I was glad that the shot didn't work out!

I have spent days in hiding waiting for birds to come to a nest. I once came across a nest of a Paradise Flycatchers, a magnificent reddish brown bird with a tail about 3 feet long, so I set myself up below its nest and waited for days. Finally, it came back to the nest, and my luck doubled when the female also joined, so you could say I captured two birds with one shot!

 

The paradise flycatchers

6. Any near-death or life changing moments? 

I've had a leopard walk below the tree in which I had a tree-hut in the jungle, while I was sleeping at night. It growled as it picked up my scent, and could easily have climbed up the tree to get to me. I only had a knife and some fire crackers to defend myself, but luckily it left after a while.

I also walked up to a huge wild elephant once while wandering through the jungle. I didn't see it until I turned a corner and saw it standing not more than 10 feet away. People are regularly killed by wild elephants in Sri Lanka, because they are unaware of the presence of the animals which are quite silent as they rest in the bush. I stood still, expecting it to charge at me, but for some reason, it didn’t. After half a minute, I slowly back-tracked and walked away. The elephant could have reached me in two strides and easily killed me!

On yet another occasion, I found myself hanging entirely outside of window of a hotel in Venice with only one foot locked onto a chair to stop me from plunging into the Grand Canal. The outcome of that was one of my favourite black and whites, of a group of gondolas against the setting sun in Venice.

Gondolas in Venice shot against the setting sun

7. If you could pick one photo as your favourite, which would it be?  

I have a photograph titled "Love". It is of two lions I photographed in the Serengeti. The male was walking for many miles through the tall grass, heading towards its pride. When it reached the pride, a female came forward and knelt down on the ground and looked up. The male walked up to the lioness and stopped. They stared into each other's eyes for many seconds. It was one of the most poignant moments I have witnessed in the wild, and one I was lucky to capture. I often wonder what was communicated in that look; to me it looked a lot like Love.

Lalin Jinasena's favourite photograph titled Love

8. What tools do you work with? Does the use of digital imaging software to edit photos render a photographer’s work less authentic/valuable?

To capture wildlife shots, I use a Nikon D3s, along with quite a few lenses. My favourite of which is a 500mm F2.8, which helps me to get close-ups of animals without having to risk life and limb as I did before! I also use a Hasselblad H4D 31.

I believe that photography is an art, and just as painters use brushes, rags, sandpaper and all kinds of tools to achieve the piece they envision, a photographer has software to help them. Before the advent of digital photography, photographers did use various techniques like dodging and burning photographs during the printing stage to get certain desired effects. The value in the photograph is in the finished product, what it communicates and what it makes viewers feel.

9. While photography is appreciated as a branch of art, some say it will always be a lesser medium than painting. What is your take on this?

I believe this was the thinking many years ago, but this theory has changed in the West. Fine Art Photography is today valued very close, if not equal, to paintings. The investment value of photography has been keeping par with paintings as well, and therefore has become a highly valued, investment grade product.

10 What do you hope to achieve with your new gallery? 

I wanted to create an outlet to showcase my work, and as my wife and I have made Singapore our home, I felt this is the perfect place to start off. We found the space at the Raffles Hotel, one of my favourite hotels in the world, and felt the fit was ideal. Raffles has created a lovely art enclave at the Seah Street side of its arcade. Singapore does not have many photography galleries and as this is one of the fastest-growing art fields in the West, I hope more photographers will be motivated to open galleries and showcase their work in Singapore. 

For my opening collection, I have 30 pieces on display. It is a mix of wildlife, landscapes, portraits, architecture, culture and macro. The idea is to give visitors a broad view of the variety of photos I have. In the forthcoming months, I will be showcasing specific collections and will also be launching new ones which I am currently working on. All of my work is available in limited edition of only 100 prints worldwide, and artist's proofs of 25. Each print is signed, and available in loose print or framed/mounted in various finishes.

The photos can be printed in various sizes too, so it is ideal for people decorating their home or office. For collectors looking to enhance their art collections and investments, the artist's proof prints as well as some studio proofs (limited to only five) are available.

 

I have created a slightly more modern interior for the gallery (the designer inside me couldn't resist) with hues of red enhanced by subtle red lighting as the backdrop, and black stands on which the prints are mounted. I picked an enchanting lounge-selection of music to complement the mood of the photographs. There’s a private viewing used for displaying prints to our VIP collectors and customers.

I have also created a line of silk scarves with a few of my photographs printed on them and a small open edition prints which are ideal as gifts and for decorating. Our art consultants and gallery assistants will help customers find the prints of their choice, and to decide on framing and mounting options. We are able to print on metal, and also mount the prints on an acrylic face. These are very new techniques, which enhance the beauty of the prints and make them pop out.

My complete collections are available at www.lalingallery.com so customers can select an image, email us, and our art consultants will make arrangements to have them printed, framed and shipped to them.

11. How do your professional pursuits as a designer, hotelier and entrepreneur influence your passion for photography? 

Photography has been a passion all my life and it gives me immense joy. It has gone hand-in-hand with my professions. When it comes to designing, I am inspired by nature and what I see. My hotel Casa Colombo has my photographs of Sri Lankan portraits in each room. I also love to photograph architecture and forms and shapes that inspire me, for example, the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. Photography and design have played a symbiotic relationship in my life.

 

Capturing the lines of the Goiden Gate Bridge against the sky

12. With so many things taking up your time, when are we likely to find you on a “photo journey”? 

I always take my cameras with me when I travel, so I usually have a little more hand luggage than most other passengers! You never know when you will see something stunning, so it's always good to have a camera ready. 

On a recent trip to Sri Lanka, I drove to the South Coast. On my way there, I found some stilt fishermen and captured some really great images, including one of a fisherman in a wave, the very wave which hit me and my camera split seconds after I took the photograph. While I was soaked and my camera worse for wear, the photograph made it all worthwhile. 

 

Fishermen on stilts


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