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| Sunday, 19 January 2003 |
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Business |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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Personality Plus : Capturing moods and moments through the camera
Some people turn out more beautiful in photographs while some do not. It all depends on the experience and expertise of the photographer in capturing the best possible angle and the quality of the film, as photography is more an art than a science. Quality is a word synonymous with Jonathans, which claims to be one of the oldest existing photographers in Sri Lanka, said Dinesh Wijayaratne, Joint Managing Director of the company. Family Dinesh was born as the youngest in a family of six including four sisters and a brother. His father was a photographer while his mother was a housewife. He and his elder brother, Jehan studied at St Joseph's College, Maradana and were good athletes during their school days. After completing his Advanced Levels, Jehan flew to Australia to learn more about photography while Dinesh opted to join the family business after completing his studies. Family business
Jonathans Studio was started by Jonathan Wijayaratne, Dinesh's grandfather in 1924 with the promise of quality. Mervyn Wijayaratne, their father, started working at the studio in the early 1940s and sacrificed most of his time for the development of the business. He was also well known in the social and commercial circles for his quality work. Dinesh, the third generation member, joined the business in the late 1970s while Jehan too joined after returning to Sri Lanka. "I was keen on photography from the time I remember as it was my father's line of business and also due to the beauty it created, giving an identical image of oneself," he said. Those days, photography was only in black and white or brown and white, but was clear and of very high quality. This helped the industry to grow very rapidly, he said. 1970-77 During this period, the industry faced many difficulties due to the government adopting a closed door policy. "We experienced many difficulties as everything relating to the industry, including film, cameras and equipment, had to be imported under extremely difficult conditions. Even wedding photography was not lucrative because not everyone was interested in a wedding album unlike these days when people spend quite a lot on a wedding album." Post-1977 "The change of government was welcome not only by business people, but also by the common man. Once the government adopted open economic policies, equipment and raw material needed by the industry were available in plenty and all new developments came to the country no sooner they were introduced elsewhere in the world. It was a major turnaround and gave the much needed impetus for the industry to grow. "After colour photography was introduced, there was not much scope for black and white photography although it did not die altogether." Taking advantage of these developments, Jonathans has achieved greater heights in photography during the last few years, thereby enhancing the image by improving the quality and service. "Jonathans handles all kinds of photographs, be they weddings, family, commercial or wedding albums. Wedding photography is personally handled by my brother or myself because we have to be very careful with such 'once in a lifetime' occasions. Unlike in the 70s, people are very conscious and want a high quality service these days. "Jonathans also started a modern framing service six months ago. We are in a position to complete a top quality framing job in one hour by this method." Secret of success The major secret of the company's success is the quality of service it provides. Dinesh said: "We never compromised on quality, but gave the best with an exceptional service. Jonathans is at the top due to its professionalism, commitment, quality and the dedicated staff". Restoration of photographs He said that photographs can be restored by using the conventional method or the digital method. The conventional method is the best as the quality is very good when the photograph is touched by a finisher. In the digital method, all aspects are handled by computer. Future of Jonathans The company opened its first branch at Havelock Town in 1997 while plans are under way to open branches in every major town around the country to cater to the demand from customers. World trends The world over, people are moving back towards black and white photography due to their quality and longevity. The day black and white photography dominates the world again is not far away, he added. Advice "When taking photographs, make sure that you get one in black and white specially wedding photogrphs as black and whites outlive colour photographs". Fact File |
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