The Macro World of Prasanna Kumara Dissanayake A Digital Tribute to Nature

An Unseen World Exposed in the Uva Region
Where as most photographers prefer the breathtaking views of large open spaces and many animal species, a photographer from Badulla, Prasanna Kumara Dissanayake, has taken a different approach. Prasanna is an environmentalist who feels the true nature of Sri Lankas biodiversity can be found in the small details found on plants. Prasanna can see the shapes and structure of flower petals, the crystallisation of pollen and the intricate details of the veins in leaves.

Prasanna, who was born on 2nd February, 2003, has created a digital conservation project called the Hidden Wonders of Sri Lankan Flora, which is a conservation method through photography. The goal of this project is to build a sizeable photographic database containing pictures of Sri Lankas plant species, and to ensure these fragile species will continue to be documented throughout the changing climate.

An Artist Scientist - Badulla
Dissanayake, being located amidst the naturally stunning landscapes of Badulla, demonstrates an artist/environmentalist duality through his photography work as he not only produces beautiful photographs, but also produces digital photography and other products for long-term preservation of the tiny environmental ecosystems through macro photography. One of his major areas of study is the Uva Province, which has many varied microclimates and micro-ecosystems and has a spectacular amount of biodiversity. The photographs in Dissanayake's collection showcase many items frequently missed by traditional scientific techniques, and provide him with evidence of plant types found throughout Sri Lanka.

The Foundational Principles of Visionaries: Exploring Uva College and the Development of Digital Archives ​Dissanayake's amazing life-long journey began at Uva College, Badulla, where his passion for nature became a career. The school was rich in history and offered an opportunity for Dissanayake to learn about how the natural world has transitioned since it first existed. Other students in his class were developing the traditional academic areas and he chose a more scientific way to study that interest. 

Dissanayake began to develop an interest in the variety of plant life and the variety of biological structures that were in Uva Province when he was in Grade 10. The beginning of this curiosity was part of a decades long commitment to document the “unseen” aspects of nature. By the time he was 15, his interest in the biologic environment continued developing through photographing the environment with his camera. When he realized through photography he could use photographs not just for the creation of art but for advocating conservation, he began to use Uva College as a campus to support all of his formal training in education and his own training in macro-photography.

During this time, he created a dual identity of himself as both an artist and as a conservationist, knowing that with each photograph he created, he was developing a permanent, high-definition digital history of Sri Lanka's unique plants and flowers.

Conservation of Local Resources From a World View
​The "Secret Wonders of Sri Lanka" project made significant contributions to the global discussion about preserving biodiversity. Dissanayake understands that, in this age of rapidly expanding urban areas, eco-systems are rapidly losing much of their biodiversity because the small elements of the eco-system are among the first to go unnoticed and therefore become extinct. Bridging the divide between traditional botany and modern digital artistry has allowed Dissanayake to develop an artistic representation of flora in Sri Lanka that people around the world can see and touch with only their eyes.
​Dissanayake is currently working on expanding his digital files into an open-access educational resource for students, researchers, and environmentalists to study the morphology of tropical plants using a digital record. Given that climate change is altering the natural flowering time of all plantas and their survival rates; this digital record must be finished as quickly as possible. Dissanayake is not taking pictures to save a plant; he is also preserving the plant's spirit for future generations.