Rajakaruna Style of Motion Capturing

Henry Rajakaruna started experimenting with slow shutter speed captures while photographing theatrical performances in early 80’s. Over the years he has mastered the art and craft of capturing stretches of time to create a body of surrealistic images that had not been done by anyone else, creating a unique Rajakaruna Style of Motion Capturing. All his motion capture images have strategically placed sharp elements as well as blurry stretches of time giving them the distinctive and surrealistic Rajakaruna look.

Henry claims there are three methods to capture “Rajakaurana style” performance art images. Two of them are capture techniques while the third one involves both capture and post processing techniques. He has won many international awards for these “Rajakaruna Style” images and the gallery “Dance in a Trance” features some of those selected images.

Life Story

Henry Rajakaruna, one of the grandmasters of Sri Lankan photography was born on 31 October 1941 in Puwakpitiya, a village close to Avissawella. His Father Don Carolis Rajakaruna was in plantation industry and his Mother Mekike Wettasinghe was a housewife.

Young Henry started his primary education at the Eswatta Primary School in Avissawella and then went to Ananda Shasthralaya in Kotte for his secondary education.

Around the age of fifteen he bought his first camera a “Gevabox” with his pocket money. In 1963, Herny completed a two year diploma in photography at the Government College of Arts and Craft.

Henry’s first success at a competition came in 1960 when one of his images got selected for an exhibition conducted by the Japan Sri Lanka friendship association. In 1961 he became successful at the the international level when six of his images got exhibited in Pakistan. Since then he has had many successes all over the world and was awarded MFIAP distiction by the Fédération Internationale de l’Art Photographique in 2013.

In 1967 Henry took a detour from photography and started a handloom fabric production business and continued it until 1979. During those years Henry had designed the ceremonial sarees for the first female prime minister of the world Mrs Sirima Bandaranaike to open one of the parliamentary sessions.

Currently Henry lives in Thalawathugoda in Sri Lanka with his wife Chandara. He has a son and a daughter.