EDWINS STUDIO & COLOUR LABORATORIES (PVT) LTD
About Us
Edwins Studio was established way back in 1933 in a very small way by our beloved founders, Mr K. A. DE SILVA and Mrs A. H. G. DE SILVA. With the very limited facilities available, studio was set up at his residence at Balapitiya, Sri Lanka and photos were taken against a background fixed in the garden. The front room of the house was converted to a Dark Room for developing and printing. Electracity was not available and printing was done using available Day Light. Candle light was also used for printing during night. In 1939, a new spacious building with all necessary facilities for the photographic studio was put up in front of Post Office, Balapitiya. As electracity was still unavailable, the roof of the camera room and part of the side wall was built with defused glass in order to obtain available light into the camera room and all photos were taken using white curtains against glass in order to control light as desired. The photographs taken by our founder, Mr DE SILVA were of very high quality and standard he soon became very popular among his clients. He bore a pleasing personality and soon almost everyone called him by the nickname “ADDIE AIYA” (Brother ADDIE).
The business at Balapitiya was lucrative and he wanted to move into Ambalangoda which is 5 Kilometers away. In 1950, he moved into a premises at New Road Ambalangoda and set up a new branch studio where he could develop business much faster. Number of employee also grew to about 7. Most of these employees were trained by him. During this time. he used to purchase new cameras, enlargers and other relevant equipment. ln 1960, he was very lucky to have been able to purchase a very rare camera called Cirkut Camera made by Kodak, Rochester, New York for the purpose of shooting large group photographs. This particular camera which is still in our possession can take group photographs up to ten feet in length and ten inches in width. ln 1965, he demolished the old building and put up a new three story modern building with all facilities. Soon his only son, Mr Sarath S.De Silva (present Chairman / Managing Director ) who was a teenager at this time joined the business and helped his father in numerous ways.
At the age of 13, he started shooting many photographs of artistic value. He participated in various photographic competitions and exhibitions where he won several prices both locally and abroad. During this period, he became a junior member of the Royal Photographic Society of Great Britain.
Mr Sarath De Silva proceeded to UK in order to learn Colour Photography in 1972. He was one of the very few lucky people who had the opportunity of following Colour Photography courses at Kodak School of Photography at Kodak Factory of Wealsdon Harrow. He also took up a course of colour photography at Paddington College of Technology followed by training at Grunswicks Processing Laboratories which happened to be the Britain’s largest Colour Lab. He also took up several training courses in UK, Germany, Singapore and Japan.
Today, he is a an Associate member of both Royal Photographic society of Gt. Britain (ARPS) and British Institute of Professional Photography (ABIPP)
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