Underground Fashion Shoot in Oakville

Yesterday we shot some promotional material with Idea Workshop for one of their clients, Mapleview Centre. The Mapleview Centre is a mall in Burlington that recently underwent a major renovation. The  shoot took place in the Oakville GO station and we took a few minutes with Tarik (the sole male model at the shoot) to capture him in the belly of the station – the tunnel beneath the tracks.

Keith Elam (GURU) 1966-2010

We heard the sad news today of the untimely passing of Keith Elam (GURU).  We dug through our archives and found a photo of him (above) performing at Nathan Phillips Square when he appeared as a surprise guest during a performance of our friends God Made Me Funky in December 2006.

GURU founded a non-profit organization called Each One Counts dedicated to carrying on his charitable work supporting abused and disadvantaged children from around the world and to fund research into a cure for cancer – the disease which ultimately took his life.  

Although we were not fortunate enough to have know him personally, he seemed to care deeply about his genre of music and it is not hard to see the influence that he had and will continue to have, particularly in the world of Hip-Hop/Jazz.

We send our condolences to his family, friends, and particularly to his son, KC.

Toronto Artist Chalkmaster Dave

Last night we shot an event at the St. Lawrence Market on Front St. in Toronto. We were happy to see sidewalk chalk artist Chalkmaster Dave there (on this night appearing as his alter ego ‘paint and canvas artist Chalkmaster Dave’). If you live in Toronto, or visit the city from time to time you are sure to have either seen Dave sitting on the sidewalk in the midst of chalking one of his creations, or to have walked over the remains of one of his masterpieces as it fades into the pavement – or is washed away in the rain. We have watched, spoken with, and photographed Dave several times over the years as we cross paths at events in and around the city. He is a warm hearted guy who is involved in very positive ways within the community, and not to mention – he is an incredible artist.

If you run into Dave this summer on the streets of Toronto, make sure you read the captions he chalks beside his works (always amusing and a reflection of his unique sense of humour) and then show him some support by contributing to his bucket.  For those of you who have not yet seen his work in person, we invite you to take a look at his video.

True North Climbing – Toronto’s Newest Rock Climbing Gym

This past Wednesday we shot some promotional work for a new rock climbing facility in North Toronto.  True North Climbing is the newest addition to Downsview Park’s Sports Centre.  We spent a half day there and shot some staff portraits, photos of the bouldering walls for the facility’s new brochure and even captured a few portraits of some of Toronto’s youngest climbers.