Photographic Journal of a Road Trip

Humanity & Earth launched a photo contest in 2018, which motivated young Sri Lankan photographers to submit work samples on the topic of environmental protection. Andy Spyra and Liz Fernando put together a group of talented young photographers, who were invited to join the Humanity & Earth journey with them.

The photo project began with a theoretical introductory event, led by Andy Spyra and Liz Fernando on storytelling at the Goethe-Institut in Colombo. Then the road trip began, taking the young photographers from Colombo via Kalpitiya to Ella and back to Colombo. From these cities, various stations were visited, which exemplify the influence of human on the environment and thus stimulate discussion about the relationship between human and earth and the issue of sustainability. Among other things, the workshop participants visited the construction site of the artificial land reclamation project Port City, the 2016 collapsed Meethotamulla landfill, an analog forestry project and the area around the coal power plant Norochcholai.
 

Workflow

During the road trip, the two mentors, Andy Spyra and Liz Fernando, professionally supervised the participants. Every evening there was a joint feedback session with the mentors, during which the shots of the day were viewed. The aim of this joint photo analysis was to recognize and sharpen the visual view of the photographer. At the end of the workshop, the participants should be able to tell their own story about the projects, not only in terms of content, but also with a self-developed visual style. The workshop also allowed young photographers to share their ideas, knowledge and experiences while exploring ecological topics in different regions of the island.