Art Gave Hope – Andrew MacNaughtan 1964-2012

As photographers, we are always striving to create images that are captivating. Images that tell a story, change a mind, or introduce others to ideas and worlds outside of their own.

The untimely passing of Canadian photographer Andrew MacNaughtan, and a reflection  upon his work, reminds us that as photographers – as artists – while we strive to create work that is captivating, we should also strive to do work that is IMPORTANT.

Over the course of his career as one of Canada’s foremost music photographers Andrew not only took a great number of stunning images, but he also created Art Gives Hope, a charity initiative in support of World Vision Canada. In March of 2006 the art exhibit fundraiser featuring over sixty of his most striking images raised $55,000 for families in Africa living with HIV and AIDS.

To have the potential to reach people half a world away and change their lives with what we do is an honour. It is something that we – as artists – should take every opportunity to realize.

Here’s hoping that even without Andrew, Art continues to Give Hope.

www.artgiveshope.ca

Happy Holidays to All

No photos today. Just Mark and I taking the opportunity to thank everyone who we have had the pleasure of collaborating with this year for the opportunities that we have been given to continue moving forward in our work, creating new images and material. 2011 has been a good year for us, and so to all of our clients and friends – the many clients who have  become friends – we thank you and look forward to new opportunities in 2012.

Happy Holidays to you all – each and every one of you.

A New Promo Shoot With Billions Cobra (aka Aidan)

Last week we did a quick promo shoot with Aidan Koper.  You might remember Aidan from the shoot we did last October when we sent him into Lake Ontario to stand with a flaming whip.

This time the shoot involved a lot less fire – just some digital instruments, a vintage mac, and Aidan at his rock star best.

The Models – Both Two and Four Legged – of Winter Woofstock 2011

As you may know, each June and November we cover the Woofstock festival for dogs. Each festival features a fashion show, allowing dogs of all kinds to walk the runway showcasing fashions from a variety of designers.

This year Winter Woofstock took place in the Direct Energy Centre, and some of the dogs needed a little help getting down the runway and back.  Luckily a few models from Orange Model Management were on hand to help them find their way.

Above, a selection of this year’s models – both two and four legged.

More Winter Magic on Elm Street

For the fourth year running Elm Street was the location of  Ice, Wine & Dine, an event organized by the Downtown Yonge BIA.  Restaurants brought their goods outside and sold or gave away samples to the happy crowd who enjoyed drinks in a martini bar made of ice, performances from some of Zero Gravity Circus’ fine performers, and the works of few master ice carvers – one of whom happens to be from the very NON-icy island of Jamaica.  More on him in another post… stay tuned.

It’s Winter Magic Time – Yonge Dundas Square is Lit for Illuminite

Last Saturday we covered the Downtown Yonge BIA‘s Illuminite event. This event is part of the BIA’s Winter Magic Series and this year featured musical performances by The Samba Squad as well as a musical and acrobatic show choreographed by Circus Orange. For the past several years Circus Orange has been responsible for putting on the pyrotechnic show that culminates in the lighting of the Yonge Dundas Holiday Tree.  They do a spectacular job – no one knows how to create a pyrotechnical sensation in Downtown Toronto like Circus Orange – and this year, they proved it again.

TTC’s New Tunnel at Downsview Park

TTC construction at Downsview Park has continued through the month of October.  Above, a view into the new TTC tunnel.

Downsview Park Construction Update

There were some very wet days this summer and as the tunnel boring for the new TTC subway expansion progressed things got messier and messier for the men at work. As you can see, there was a LOT of water to deal with.

Performances by Circus Orange at TIFF (Toronto International Film Festival)

This past week we shot a variety of performances by Circus Orange at TIFF (the Toronto International Film Festival). We have shot events in the past that have included performances by Circus Orange and they put on an incredible show every single time. The ideas and concepts that Rebecca and Tom develop and put into action are spectacular – we love working with them. On Wednesday evening the troupe created a spectacle for Skyy Vodka involving an aerialist and a 12ft tall martini glass suspended 35ft in the air  by a crane. Later in the week, during another aerial performance behind TIFF Bell Lightbox, Mark put his own aerial skills to use climbing 15 storeys into the air to shoot the performance from the base of a crane set up nearby… it wasn’t planned, it just sort of – happened.

Fortunately it turned out well and provided a unique perspective on the spectacle unfolding below.

Concert For Japan at Downsview Park

We shot our last concert of the summer on Labour Day weekend.  The Concert for Japan featured two days of entertainment and live music and even offered concert-goers the opportunity to ride a zip-line across the main concert area or have a drink at a bar suspended from a large crane.  That’s something we’ve never seen before!

We met up with Darrin Pfeiffer, at the concert – some of you may know Darrin from his days on 102.1 The Edge.  We’ve missed hearing him over the airwaves and hope that he will be back on the air soon. Right now Darrin is spending his time drumming for both ska punk band Goldfinger, and Canadian rock band, The Salads. He also manages and produces punk bands under his own record label, High 4 Records. Darrin was a lot of fun to hang with (and to shoot) and we think that we could do some awesome work with Darrin (hint Darrin – hint, hint) on the promotional material for the bands on his label.

Most importantly we hope that the concert was successful for the promoters and that the money raised will benefit the people of Japan, where relief efforts will most certainly continue for a long time to come.