The meaning behind photography has always been at the front of mind for young West Australian Photographer Aidan Ariyarantne.
“My family has always had cameras around. My grandfather used to take photos as a hobby and then my mum got that from him and she always used to have cameras around and when we were kids we would have film cameras and little disposable cameras that as kids we would run around and take photos with” he says.
Aiden’s photography is of a wide variety, from portraits to photos of nature, cityscapes and the hustle of city life. He grew up in and is based in Perth but is currently living in Broome for a few months and using the opportunity to photograph the unique town.
“Broome has a lot of old buildings and a lot of that, sort of, historical nature that you can sort of capture and it’s not meaningless and it’s the same with nature here in the bush in Broome, some people might not find it interesting but there’s still something particular to Broome” he said.
Aiden is passionate about capturing stories in is photos as opposed to just things that look interesting, his favourite form of photography is portraits of people but that when looking for a person or object to photograph, he will always look for the story behind them.
“I would be looking at what is a subject that has a story behind it or what is a subject that is not only visually interesting but has a little bit of depth behind it as well,” he said.
Aiden says that he is not looking to pursue a professional career in photography but is continually seeking to learn more about photography to enhance his work.
“I’m not looking to become an independent small business owner but I have done small gigs for people here and there, different volunteering things and helping out but really it’s just about me playing with cameras and playing with lenses and exploring a medium that I find interesting.”