Cinnamon Covershot Challenge features the best of Sri Lanka’s east coast

The recently-concluded Cinnamon Covershot Challenge powered by IFC turned out to be immensely successful. The second edition of this highly anticipated event especially among professional and passionate photographers focused its attention on Sri Lanka’s east coast which is growing rapidly adding to the country’s diverse and impressive portfolio of tourist destinations.

The winning photo was of a snorkeler exploring the variety in marine diversity at one of Sri Lanka’s popular marine national parks, Pigeon Island. “This was my first photographic achievement. I’ve had the shot in head and was patiently waiting for a snorkeler to come into the frame. Luckily, I had the opportunity to replicate the exact image in my mind, and it turned out to be a winner” said Imal Wickramage on his winning entry which was posted under the category ‘Tourism in the East Coast’.

“The entire programme was very well organised, the hospitality was amazing and it was truly a great experience. I would recommend the Cinnamon Covershot Challenge powered by IFC to any aspiring photographer,” he added.

Overall, the event had over 24 participants, competing in various categories such as architectural sites, landscapes, wildlife, portraits. The main incentive was the featuring of the winning photo on the cover of the bi-monthly ‘Cinnamon’ magazine which has previously featured celebrities Marco Pierre White and Richard Quest, and is placed exclusively in every room across the Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts chain. ‘Cinnamon’ has a readership of over 100,000 guests in both the Sri Lankan and Maldives Cinnamon properties and other additional readers within the magazine’s distribution channels. The winning submission was featured in the December/January issue of the ‘Cinnamon’ magazine. 

Lasting three nights and four days, the Cinnamon Covershot Challenge tour covered various hot spots in Trincomalee, Passikudah, Batticaloa and Arugam Bay, giving all the participants a variety of opportunities to try different angles and use their imagination in order to capture the perfect shot. Starting off at the Ratmalana Airport, the participants hopped on to a domestic aircraft and flew to the east of the country amidst great excitement especially with regards to the opportunity to capture some great aerial footage.

After the short flight to Trincomalee, the cameras started clicking right from the first stop in Kinniya, Trincomalee followed by the visit to the Kamakshi Amman Temple where there were plenty of opportunities for especially those interested in portrait photography. After exploring the city of Trincomalee including the Old Dutch Fort, the group engaged in an interactive workshop with experienced wildlife biologist and photographer Vimukthi Weeratunga.

The group then visited the Batticaloa light house the next day, followed by one of the oldest temples in the east coast known as the Magul Maha Viharaya which is over 2,000 years old. The participants then engaged in a boat ride on the Potuvil Lagoon capturing the surreal landscapes around the area, before finally arriving at Arugam Bay.

Kumana National Park was next on the list of locations that were on the itinerary, which meant an early start the next day. The park provided ample opportunities for the photographers to sweat their already warmed up cameras with plenty of drama and activity present in the wild. Finally, all the participants headed back to Trinco Blu by Cinnamon where they visited the Koneswaram Temple and finally the popular marine national park Pigeon Island before heading back to Colombo.

“If I had to rate this event out of 10, I would give it a 10,” “I would recommend this to anybody interested in travelling and photography, because it gives you the chance to visit many places and experience a lot of things we haven’t seen” were just a few of the many comments made by the participants who had a truly Cinnamon experience in every sense.