ABOUT

RENOWNED FOR HIS EXPERTISE IN PHOTOJOURNALISM, THARAKA HAS CAPTURED COMPELLING STORIES THROUGH HIS EDITORIAL PHOTOGRAPHY ASSIGNMENTS ACROSS DIVERSE LOCALES INCLUDING SRI LANKA, USA, CHINA, THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES (DUBAI AND ABU DHABI), AND NEPAL. HIS POWERFUL NEWS, FEATURES, AND SPORTS PHOTOGRAPHY HAVE GRACED LEADING SRI LANKAN NEWSPAPER CEYLON TODAY AND PRESTIGIOUS INTERNATIONAL AGENCIES LIKE NURPHOTO, GETTY IMAGES, AND BLOOMBERG.

THARAKA'S EXCEPTIONAL TALENT WAS RECOGNIZED IN 2019 WHEN HE WAS HONORED WITH THE COVETED 'PHOTOJOURNALIST OF THE YEAR AWARD' BY THE PRESS INSTITUTE AND EDITORS GUILD IN SRI LANKA. THIS ADDS TO THREE OTHER INTERNATIONAL ACCOLADES IN PHOTOJOURNALISM.

HIS ACADEMIC JOURNEY INCLUDES BEING AN ESTEEMED ALUMNUS OF THE 'STUDY OF THE U.S. INSTITUTES (SUSIS) FOR NEW MEDIA JOURNALISM' AT THE UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA (2012). HE FURTHER DISTINGUISHED HIMSELF BY EARNING 'BEST STUDENT' IN THE EXECUTIVE MSC IN MASS COMMUNICATION AT ASIA E UNIVERSITY (2020), ECHOING A SIMILAR ACHIEVEMENT IN HIS DIPLOMA IN JOURNALISM AT THE SRI LANKA COLLEGE OF JOURNALISM. THARAKA IS CURRENTLY PURSUING A MASTER OF ARTS IN JOURNALISM AT THE UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA, USA (EXPECTED 2025) AND PREVIOUSLY SHARED HIS KNOWLEDGE AS A LECTURER IN PHOTOJOURNALISM AT THE SRI LANKA COLLEGE OF JOURNALISM.