An Outtake From the YWCA Toronto’s 2014 Annual Report – Sasha

 

Over the past few years we have been fortunate to work with the team at the YWCA Toronto in creating photography for a variety of their publications. The team that we work with are wonderful, compassionate people and the whenever we have worked with the YWCA program participants (often women who have each faced enormous challenges and have then become the subject of our photos) we’ve felt honoured that they allow themselves to feel and convey in front of us the true emotion that we hope comes across in the photos.

Recently we worked with the YWCA to create visuals for their 2014 Annual Report.  Again we worked with participants of the YWCA’s programs – programs to help women who had been abused, women who had faced poverty, and women who were experiencing homelessness. One of the participants was Sasha – above.  Sasha is an absolute success story.  A strong and ambitious woman who with the help of the YWCA has been able to rebuild her life and even start her own business.  She continues to thrive.

On the evening that we met Sasha she arrived composed, self confident, and her strength came through in every frame.  After the final shots had been delivered to the client we fooled around a bit with this outtake in post production and liked the way it came out.

Sasha makes a fine ambassador for the success stories that are written through the tireless work of those at the YWCA and the programs made possible by the donations they receive.

Canadian Olympic Bronze Medalist Claire Carver-Dias

Back in January we were fortunate enough to work with Claire Carver-Dias, a bronze medalist in the 2000 Sydney Olympics.  During our photo shoot we learned a little bit about synchronized swimming and the training one must go through to reach the level that Clair has reached. We also got a chance to feel for ourselves just how heavy an olympic medal really is – it is quite heavy!

Claire has moved on from the life of an athlete and through her company Clearday Communications now offers corporate communications services as well as coaching.  Claire is also an accomplished author who has just seen her first novel put into print – an all around accomplished individual and a real pleasure to work with.

Jo Lalonde – aka Toronto’s Chalk Chick

 You might not recognize Jo Lalonde – aka Chalk Chick – but if you spend a lot of time in downtown Toronto you have probably seen her work. Jo is an established artist who not only works with corporate clients (you can see a list of past clients on her website here) but spends time out on the streets doing her part to make the city of Toronto a little more colourful.

Believe it or not the portraits of Jo that you see above were taken after she took a break from her latest masterpiece and got ‘cleaned up’. She’s awesome. This is one artist who gets RIGHT into her work and isn’t afraid to get dirty.

Just the way it should be.

A Few More Shots From the Art of Fashion Fundraiser

In late February we spent a couple of days shooting for Art of Fashion. They had asked us to be involved in a fundraiser whereby their designers would have access to professional photography services in order to get a professional head shot that could be used in promoting themselves  and their design collections.

For years we have noticed how many people try and promote themselves – and by extension their personal brands –  on social media channels and personal or professional websites with photos that they have taken themselves (the dreaded selfie), cropped from a larger photo, or in some cases photos that have been taken by a ‘friend with a camera’.  The result is invariably bad, bad, bad and only now are people generally starting to realize the value of a professional profile photo.  A poor photo can potentially create a poor first impression, especially in the creative fields, so with this in mind we agreed to help raise money for Art of Fashion while providing a wide variety of people (a much wider variety than just the designers) with a head shot that they can use to promote themselves.

From opera singers (two of them!) to business professionals, to actors and those there just for fun, we tried to create something that expressed a bit of what each person was about.

Above, a small sample of the photos we created.

Business Portraits – In a Variety of Styles

A few years ago we published this post after a creative session with one of our favourite clients – the idea of the shoot was to produce business portraits that would showcase the individual and the space within which they worked in a way that was more personal than the standard corporate head shot.  Since that time we have been called upon to shoot business portraits for a number of clients in a variety of styles.

Capturing the personality of the individual we are shooting and making them feel comfortable and relaxed in what otherwise might not be the most relaxing setting (not all of us like to be photographed!) is a challenge that we enjoy. If you are looking to refresh your business portrait or series of corporate photos for your company’s marketing or promotional material please contact us, together we can create the perfect style of portrait for you and your business.

Fashion Creative at Loft 404

We were lucky enough yesterday to work with a new team in putting together a fashion creative, shot at Loft 404. The space at loft 404 has to be seen to be believed – one experiences a sort of sensory overload walking through the maze of rooms and hallways covered in eclectic scavenged goods from around the world. It is a space that truly inspires creativity.

Our model for the shoot was Rebecca Leung and she was a dream to work with, you will be seeing a lot of Rebecca in the future.  Her makeup was expertly applied by Victoria Fedosoff who took each description of the look we wanted and made it a reality, Victoria also served as our hairstylist for the day. The shoot was styled by Michelle Price who did a great job in making sure nothing was overlooked. It was energizing to work with such a fun group of creative professionals and we look forward to working with this team again.

Below, a few shots from the start of the day – Rebecca in one of Loft 404’s vibrantly coloured rooms.

Addrenaline Media’s President and Creative Director, Kyle Hosick

Kyle Hosick, President and Creative Director of Addrenaline Media, came to us recently looking for a series of photos for a media kit he was putting together for a new venture that he will be launching in the coming year.  We were excited to work with Kyle, having worked along side him a few years ago during the famous roof top champagne juggling shoot we did for Chuck Champers – Kyle shot the video and created Chuck’s website which of course features our photos.

We always look forward to working with other creatives – the ideas just flow and we love the freedom of trying different things and seeing what comes out of it all. In this case we were very happy with the results and we hope that Kyle was too.

Above, a sample of one of the profile photos… Kyle and his Great White tattoo.

Some Portraits From the 2012 ScotiaBank BuskerFest Greenroom

Above, a series of portraits featuring some of the performers, crew, and volunteers who made this year’s ScotiaBank BuskerFest in Support of Epilepsy Toronto what it was.

The Buskers Were Back

For the 8th year in a row we acted as official photographers for The ScotiaBank Toronto BuskerFest in Support of Epilepsy Toronto. Once again the streets of Toronto – Front and Wellington from Yonge Street to Jarvis – were transformed, with the help of a dedicated team of technical crew and countless volunteers, into the grounds of the largest BuskerFestival in North America.

ScotiaBank Toronto BuskerFest is one of our favourite events, not only because the entertainment is world class (and available to everyone equally) but because the whole driving force of the festival is to raise money for Epilepsy Toronto and that goal is accomplished in spectacular form.

As part of this four day festival the world’s top street performers gather and give their collective best at two benefit shows – the thrilling Friday night fire show and the collaborative Sunday night finale – and at the conclusion of the shows the total of all crowd donations is matched by title sponsor ScotiaBank and sent to Epilepsy Toronto, an organization that provides help and support to the 1 in 100 people in the GTA who live with epilepsy. It is an event during which everyone works together in support of Epilepsy Toronto, and we are proud to be a part of it year after year.

A festival of this magnitude can only come together with the cooperation and time investment of a great many people with a wide range of skills and resources to offer. In recognition of everyone who gives generously of themselves in order to make the festival what it is, we like to set up a rough studio in the greenroom each year to capture a portrait of every person who has had a part in bringing the festival together. We feel EVERYONE – centre stage or back – deserves this recognition.  One day we hope to have created archives documenting everyone who has been involved as the festival evolves.  We’re working on it…

So to every performer, crew member, volunteer and of course title sponsor ScotiaBank – who gave and then gave again – we salute you and congratulate you. Together you raised the money needed to ensure ongoing support for 1 in 100 people – you did so by creating an unforgettable festival for over a million more.

Well done.

The City’s Best Mustard Can Be Found in the St. Lawrence Market

In 2001 I bought a loft North of the St. Lawrence Market – in fact the market itself was a key element in my decision to move into this neighbourhood. Eleven years later we live AND work in the neighbourhood – it has everything we need.

This year National Geographic recognized our market as the number one market in the world and we think a part of what makes it the ‘best’ in the world are the vendors themselves, some of whom have been stationed in the market for years. Even before I moved into the neighbourhood I remember trips to the market on Saturday mornings with my parents and one stall we would often visit was Anton Kozlik’s Canadian Mustard. Now run by Jeremy – and with an expanded product line of award winning mustards – it is easy to understand why with vendors like this, the market is second to none. For anyone who loves food a trip to Kozlik’s Mustard is in itself a very good reason to visit the market.

We hope to see you there.