Meet The Drone Pilot, Nilrandha Fonseka 

• Tell us a little about yourself

I am an inspired Junior architect who also loves capturing moments, my love for photography was always something close to my heart. I want to take my skills in photography and videography to the next level through stunning aerial photography. My goal is to showcase to the world the beauty of our island ‘Sri Lanka’ from above. 

My journey continues around the island to capture unique locations connected with nature, architecture, and fauna. All things considered, I’m currently in my last year of the Architecture degree that I’m pursuing in. In the meantime, I’m also working with a couple of sustainability-based projects and a few other global undertakings as well, mostly in the aspect of the conservation of flora/fauna and promoting tourism through Architecture. 

• Throw some light on your architecture journey.

Architecture has been a part of my life since an early age, my dad being an Architect himself I experienced my life going on visits to constructions sites and being present at meetings with contractors, I was always fascinated by what my dad was doing which eventually made me realize I wanted to follow his footsteps and carry on his legacy, well obviously try and be better than him. He made sure that I learned how to live my life full of endless experiences. I was able to travel with him to many countries that showcased different types of Architectural styles. Living those experiences, I was fascinated by the Culture, Architecture, and history of Sri Lanka. In my Architectural degree, in terms of design projects, I constantly try to showcase the hidden stories of our motherland and celebrate the Arts & Crafts of Sri Lanka. I have continued exploring and experiencing the journey of my life through the lens of Architecture. Different Communities, Contexts, Climates, and Creatures on the Earth create Architecture through the main elements of Light and Shade. The combination of these components nourishes the voyage of my architecture journey which also has become the streamline of the truth of living as a modest Architect who understands the importance of them the co-existence of my life and nature.  

As far as Architecture & Design, I have worked under a few award-winning Architects, namely Architect C. Anjalendran, Architect Pradeep Kodikara and Architect Isuru De Zoysa. In my experience as a junior Architect, I got the opportunity to learn about Architect Geoffery Bawa and the modern contemporary arts and crafts of Sri Lanka. In addition to that, I work closely with the Sri Lanka Institute of Architects, in which we are taking steps to revitalize the prominent tourist attractions such as Sigiriya, Pollonnaruwa, and Anuradhapura that are under the Central Cultural Fund.  

• What is your design philosophy?

This universe is a composition of balance between all the experiences. The balance between nature, aesthetics, and technology that lead to a sustainable design approach will be the primary design philosophy. But at the end of the day, any design should be user-friendly and environmentally friendly. The balance between these two elements will depict the success of any design. Therefore, ‘Building’; is a recurring theme for our nation. Sri Lankans were always considered builders. And if Lanka is a Storybook, magnificent architecture is a prime chapter. This is the path I follow, where Geometry, Nature, and Minimalism have always been my backbone when it comes to designing. I always wanted to focus on creating architecture that resonates with its surroundings while respecting them.  

• How did you get into Drone Piloting? 

I’ve always been a wanderer and have been exploring our little Island, discovering unseen spots, and partaking in adventures. Most adventures were spontaneous, which made them even more exciting, visiting these locations made me realize how magical they were, and several locations were just breath-taking from a higher altitude, I think not many people are aware of how beautiful our country and this world are from above, we only see the human-eye level of things. This is the point at which it inspired me to become a drone pilot and to share my adventures with everyone from a different POV. 

• Tell us more about your accomplishments as a Drone Pilot.

I’m grateful and proud to have the opportunity to visit unseen spots in Sri Lanka, that not everyone is allowed to go to since I’m currently working with a few of the authorities – including the Sri Lanka Tourist Board, Department of Wildlife Conservation and Department of Forest Conservation, and so forth. I’m glad to announce the endeavour I and my friend founded together, called ‘Abbove Dronic’, where we specialize in Aerial Photography and Videography. As of now, we have collaborated with the Sri Lanka Tourism Alliance in promoting Tourism. In addition, we’re also glad to mention that we’ve partnered with Cinnamon Hotels to create content for one of their campaigns, called “One Island, Thousand Stories”. As Social Media refreshes, it has helped everyone to create content, promoting tourism in Sri Lanka but again, I believe that there should be a certain level of quality when delivering good content, that ought to be kept up with some sort of quintessence to the information which is published online or as far as content matters. In terms of Technology, I’m in discussions to partner with ‘Hyper Glade’ where we’re working on launching an NFT collection, which I’m immensely excited about and I can’t wait for everyone to see it. 

• What were some challenges you faced while piloting a drone?

Flying a drone is a task that needs a little bit more of just practice and concentration. You need to be aware of your surroundings and make sure each flight we take per battery (20- 30 mins) I need to pre-plan my route or the type of shots I will be capturing. There are instances where I capture amazing photos when I randomly just hover around a location not knowing what I’ll be surprised with. It’s me using my creativity and sense of framing to grab the perfect shot and composition to capture a special moment. There are times when I have had nail-biting moments when I’ve lost control of my drone, finding it stuck on a tree and inches away from falling to the ground, there was an unforgettable day when I had to emergency land the drone and go in search of it, to find it landed upside down, which was not normal. After heading back home and going through that day’s footage to my surprise the drone had flipped because a ‘Serpent eagle’ attacked and tries to carry it as soon as it lands.  

• What can you tell us about your upcoming project, “This is still my country, Sri Lanka”? What are your plans for executing this project?

This will be a project that I will be doing very close to my heart, I wish to travel around the island, to many hidden locations such as remote villages, locations along the coast, and little islands that are around Sri Lanka. I will be documenting my adventure from day one, but the sole purpose is to create a collection of aerial photography that will showcase the beauty of these locations. After all, we are the ‘Pearl of the Indian Ocean, so it’s high time we show that to the world. I hope to have my first-ever Exhibition with this collection and publish a book with them.  

This country and ‘we’ its people have always persevered and always been resilient through all the challenges we have faced; the goal of this project is to capture moments from above that will bring a smile to all of us and remind us how lucky we are to be in a country like this.  

• Quotes 

“If you don’t know yourself, you’re lost. You’ll be blown away by the style and be busy doing gimmicks. The goal in life is to not be a sucker. Knowing your culture and you are key… Also, when does that Elton John movie come out?” 

Archt. C. Anjalendran 

• Social Media Platform 

• Instagram : 

https://instagram.com/nilrandhafonseka?igshid=MTA0ZTI1NzA= 

• Drone company : 

https://instagram.com/abbove_dronic?igshid=ZDU1ZDhlY2E= 

• YouTube : 

https://youtube.com/channel/UCcID7tKD2UhryVra0VRgF-A 

• TikTok :

https://www.tiktok.com/@nilrandhafonseka?_t=8W0mlfysyp8&_r=1