Sasi Shanmugarajah (BSc 1999 New) knows a thing or two about sound logic and good business sense. He completed two undergraduate degrees — in computer science and engineering — from U of T and earlier this year earned his MBA from the Rotman School of Management. So why does this IT project manager prefer not to be paid for taking photographs? “I’ve done a number of successful paid wedding and portrait gigs, but I found that being paid for photography — and thus committed to a certain expectation from a client — tended to stifle my creativity,” he says.

Shanmugarajah favors street photography — and capturing his subjects unaware. This woman was dressed in her Sunday best at a used book store in Toronto. “I saw the lady reading her book and found her clothing to be unique and a little out of place in that setting, so I walked up opposite her and took the shot.” The original photo was converted to black and white to emphasize the repeating patterns.

Shanmugarajah considers himself a serious amateur, and has won several local photography competitions. BBC.com and BlogTo have also featured his work. He served as director of the Rotman Photography Association, and he’s always had a desire to be involved at U of T.

“My family immigrated to Canada just as I graduated high school and thus my first introduction to this country was the University of Toronto downtown campus and its wonderful students and faculty. I think that’s why I have a strong affection for the university, and it’s a big reason I’ve returned here several times,” says Shanmugarajah.

Check out Sasi’s online photography tutorial blog, PhotoBlazr
Visit Sasi’s photography website
Visit Sasi’s Flickr page