‘Symphony of Serendib’
Wins at State Literary Awards 2020
Avisually pleasing journey into the different terrains of Sri Lanka is what awaits you if you grab a copy of ‘Symphony of Serendib’. The debut coffee table book by Erich Joseph which documents his passion for wildlife photography, won an award for the Best Design and Layout at the State Literary Awards 2020.
From the tiniest of insects to the Big Five, many in their own habitats, have been captured with no disturbances to the surroundings. Having collected as many photos as possible from the many visits he has paid to national parks, rainforests and other habitats dominated by wildlife, Erich had thereafter been able to decide on the flow of the book. “I grouped the photos into ten sets ranging from Ella to Haputale, Kandy, Sinharaja Forest, Udawalawe, Wilpattu, Yala and along the coastline,” said Joseph in an interview with the Daily Mirror Life.
“I then discussed my plan with Kasun Benaragama and after checking the photos we decided to do a landscape style book. We had four months to complete and we would review photos during the weekends. Our objective was to tell a story about Sri Lanka’s wildlife. While writing about it we wanted to narrate the story through photos. Thereafter I took around 300 photos to get comments from Mr. Lal Hegoda and he wanted all photos to be printed. But I kept certain photos that were rejected by him, especially if they had a background story.”
If one takes time to closely observe the book it is quite evident that the writer has put an effort to tell a story that the audience didn’t know. “The book shows Erich’s enthusiasm towards wildlife,” opined Kasun Benaragama, the person behind the award-winning design and layout. “Hence this book has a narration for every photo. We filled up blank spaces with text so that it doesn’t look empty. On the other hand every photo is also giving a message to the audience, be it leopards spotted at Horton Plains to the declining water levels at Kalawewa. Design -wise, my objective was to keep the reader glued to the book till the very end. So there was a lot of thought put into the colour contrast and type of photos, be it action shots, portraits or landscape photos.”
One of its striking features is the cover photo. “We wanted to tell the inside story from the cover photo. It is not easy to capture a photo of a Shaheen falcon, the world’s fastest bird during its flight but in this photo, the feathers are clearly seen. Apart from that he also went to the extent of hiring a Cessna to capture the shot of the blue whale. Therefore I wanted to highlight both the animal as well as Erich’s talent and dedication towards photography,” Benaragama further said.
Having had experience designing coffee table books especially on environment and tourism for around 10 years, the recent award is the third award for Benaragama. The book has received positive feedback as well as certain criticisms. Another fact is that the book was printed in Sri Lanka itself. “Usually these kinds of books are sent to Singapore for printing. But Erich had faith in the printer and retained the money,” he added.
But the duo is content with the outcome. “We can’t say there was no hope but since it was my first book I wanted it to be of high quality. Actually, the award is quite unexpected but I’m happy with the outcome,” added Joseph.
If you want to travel on a visual journey from the cloudy forests of the highlands to the sandy soils of the coastlines then hurry and grab your copy of ‘Symphony of Serendib’ from the nearest bookstore. Copies are now available at Barefoot, Vijitha Yapa Bookshop, Sarasavi Bookshop, Expograhphic Books, Pendi, Maleen Books, Rohan’s Bookshop (Liberty Plaza) and World of Camouflage.