Gamini Kumara's Interview

Gamini Kumara at his beautiful photoblog, PicassoMio, JPG Magazine, ALTphotos and this article.











"Costume play"




Gamini Kumara, tell me how did your passion begin ?

The passion began from my travels. Being in unfamiliar places and seeing new things. Of course I was taking pictures of them like a tourist to bring back the stories.


Did you learn photography in a special school ?

Yes, I attended Minneapolis College of Art and Design to study graphic design and ended up doing more photography than graphic design


Who are your greatest inspirators ?

The great inspirations came from Eugene Atget and Richard Avedon. Incidentally I have met Richard Avedon during his great show at the Minneapolis Institute of Art and he gave a lecture to my photography II class at the College of Art and Design which is next door to the Institute of Art.


How long could you be far from your camera ?

I can not be too far away from my cameras at all. I shoot with all types of cameras mostly film cameras though I shoot with digital cameras now. They are everywhere in the house and one in the back seat of my car.

"Nude in bw"

Your preferences, indoor, outdoor, natural lights, color ?

I do not really have a preference either way but natural light is preferred for the photos. I try to stay away from artificial lighting and prefer a muted color scheme. I also shoot in bw occasionally and make them toned. No longer in the dark room but on the computer.

"Nora garden"

What is your process of creation ?

I would definitely say my process of creation is chaos. The order comes from that chaotic process of creativity. I have made photographs I did not intend to create out of the chaos, even though I might have an idea of what I am going to create.










"Pickle's farm"




Do you make many corrections ?

There had been times I made corrections over a long period of time, coming back to the same photo again and again. Now I am making an orderly progression from the chaotic process, that rarely happens these days. But I can never say I might get stuck with an idea and revisit the same image and struggle with it for some time.


What is your preferred photos in your own portfolio ?

They are the new series of nudes I am working on in a friend's costume design studio and the manipulated images I am working on at the same time. I prefer these nudes in the architectural space to other types of nudes.


Have you scheduled your next exhibition ?

No but I would like to show some works overseas in the future.


A book to come ?

Definitely. In color and b&w with my own graphic design.

"Melanie's fashion"

What's for your next future ?

.... is perfecting various discoveries I am making while photographing and experimenting with the visual style.


A message to send ?

... is to keep photographing what you would like to and experiment.

Gamini, a huge thanks for your time !