ABOUT

RENOWNED FOR HIS EXPERTISE IN PHOTOJOURNALISM, THARAKA HAS CONDUCTED EDITORIAL PHOTOGRAPHY ASSIGNMENTS IN DIVERSE LOCALES INCLUDING SRI LANKA, CHINA, THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES (DUBAI AND ABU DHABI), AND NEPAL. HIS SPECIALIZED CONTRIBUTIONS IN NEWS, FEATURES, AND SPORTS PHOTOGRAPHY HAVE BEEN FEATURED THROUGH PRESTIGIOUS INTERNATIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY AGENCIES SUCH AS NURPHOTO, GETTY IMAGES, REX FEATURES, AND BLOOMBERG. HIS EXCEPTIONAL SKILLS IN THE FIELD WERE RECOGNIZED IN 2019 WHEN HE WAS HONORED WITH THE PRESTIGIOUS 'PHOTOJOURNALIST OF THE YEAR AWARD (OFFERED BY THE PRESS INSTITUTE AND EDITORS GUILD IN SRI LANKA), COMPLEMENTED BY THREE ADDITIONAL INTERNATIONAL ACCOLADES IN THE REALM OF PHOTOJOURNALISM. IN THE ACADEMIC SPHERE, HE IS AN ESTEEMED ALUMNUS OF THE 'STUDY OF THE U.S. INSTITUTES (SUSIS) FOR NEW MEDIA JOURNALISM' AT THE UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA, A PROGRAM HE COMPLETED IN 2012. HIS ACADEMIC PROWESS WAS FURTHER HIGHLIGHTED BY HIS ACHIEVEMENT AS THE 'BEST STUDENT' IN THE EXECUTIVE MSC IN MASS COMMUNICATION AT ASIA E UNIVERSITY IN 2020, FOLLOWING A SIMILAR DISTINCTION IN THE DIPLOMA IN JOURNALISM AT THE SRI LANKA COLLEGE OF JOURNALISM. HIS COMMITMENT TO EDUCATION EXTENDS TO HIS PREVIOUS ROLE AS A LECTURER IN PHOTOJOURNALISM AT THE SRI LANKA COLLEGE OF JOURNALISM.