Merry Christmas!

 It's been a wonderful year and we're looking very forward to 2014.

All the very best of Christmas Day and of course a very Happy New Year!

401 Richmond Gallery 44 Exhibition

 

It was really nice to show a couple of pieces (from the White Dress/Red Umbrella series) at Gallery 44 at the 401 Richmond building along side some very talented photographers. Lots of great artwork still to be had - last day is tomorrow!

Happy Friday the 13th....

Movember 2013 with Jules

Click images to see them larger - go on! They look better that way!

For the last couple of years, we've done some fun Movember projects and didn't want this year to slip by on us without doing something cool.

So we decided to invite people to shout out on our Facebook page to nominate the spiffiest 'stache in their network. Thanks to Eve for pushing Jules and his snazzy nose neighbour out into the spotlight! 

As soon as he stepped into the studio we discovered we have a lot in common - I photograph a   lot of musicians and as it happens, Jules works with a lot of them as well. Check out roundtableradio.ca for podcasts, reviews and interviews with newer and more established musical acts both in Toronto and beyond....

Thanks also of course to everyone else who participated by nominating a groovy moustache from their inner circle.

TVOKids Reading Rangers eBook: The Mayor's Muffins

Update: we're proud to share that our Tumbleweed's Yard Sale eBook has just been nominated for a Canadian Screen Award (formerly Gemini) as a Digital Media Nominee in the category: Best Cross-Platform Project.

Back in August there was a post about a Reading Rangers eBook we photographed for local Ontario television studio TVO for their TVOKids division.

And now that our rhyming is in good shape from the last eBook, we're all set to get to work on some tongue-twisting fun with the recent release of The Mayor's Muffins (...yes, bean muffins...) available free for Apple and Android devices. Download the eBook to find out how to master tongue-twisters with Cookie's famous precious, peppy, puffy bean muffins!

White Dress: Creative Portrait Photography Toronto

Click images to see them larger - go on! They look better that way!

[Update: a couple of these pieces are now showing at Gallery 44 in the 401 Richmond building for a short time!]

This is the stuff I love to do....

The new element here was being ready to shoot at day break. Some swear by morning light, but during summer in Toronto, that means you're set up, ready & shooting as the sun is coming up somewhere between 5:00 - 6:00am. Luckily in October you can get an extra hour of sleep, but the trade off, of course, is that it's already starting to get cold. That means a well-rested (or better rested - it's still early!), but rather chilly model.

Just under 10 degrees celsius is definitely nippy for a little summer dress and a photographer constantly asking for such small adjustments from frame to frame, but Erin's pretty tough in the cold with no complaints all pinned with extra fabric everywhere. As a bit of a sissy in the cold myself, I know I would have been useless - not to mention the fact that the dress might not have suited me quite as well. Just the cut of it, I guess....

Erin Siegel is an artist and designer who also happens to model. Check out her art & design work here and her modelling portfolio here.

Alison and Laura: Opera with Extras!

Classical Guitar Goodness: Altius Duo

Up today: some Classical Guitar goodness with Altius Duo (Chad Yacobucci & Adam Batstone) based right here in Toronto.

I was also pleased to learn that Chad is now the director of the Guitar Orchestra to the Toronto Guitar Society now in it's 4th year! Small world....

Keep up to date with Chad and Adam including performance dates on their brand-spanking new website due out soon.

Behind the Scenes: Red Dress Twirl (a peek under the dress...)

UPDATE: Take a look at some of the creative process over at Retouching Academy.

The positive feedback on last week's Red Dress Twirl post has been wonderful and everyone is curious about how we came up with the dress. To satisfy that curiosity, we thought it might be easier - and hopefully more entertaining - to put together a short video.

Red Dress Twirl

Girl can twist & twirl a dress like nobody's business! [Update: click here for a peek under the dress!]

This is actually a part II and you might recognize Marife from our testing session not long ago where I tried my best to explain the concept of this photo above.

Amazing makeup by Maria Velve and technical assisting by Cristy. And a huge thank you to both of them for helping with wardrobe as well - you might be surprised how much effort it takes to organize a dress made to fit a 9 foot-tall Venezuelan model!

I think this might have been the very last photo shoot we did in my old studio just off the Queen West strip. Looking forward to future adventures in my new studio at 401 Richmond!

Which profile pic do YOU prefer?

All right, so...there's been a bit of outside pressure for a while now to update my LinkedIn profile picture to make it somehow more..."appropriate." (point taken if you look at the old one at the bottom of this post)

The problem is that any time I use myself in front of the camera (not always recommended), something totally ridiculous comes out! It's not easy to get in front of the camera - even when it's my own. Anyone who knows me already understands that I love all things ridiculous, over-the-top and that although I have a serious side, it's just plain more fun to clown around.

The end result is that a serious, professional and therefore more appropriate picture has simply never come into being. And so today's post is an attempt to fix that and to satisfy all those who have been pushing for that long overdue change.

So the strong contender is the top image in that snazzy disco suit, although I've also come up with a runner-up option here below:

You can let me know what YOU think! ...and while you're at it, go right ahead and connect with me on LinkedIn if we're not already - after all...it's Friday (the 13th), so let's get this party started!

Previous (and LinkedIn-INappropriate) photo here:

...what's with all the silly moustaches ¿right? Have a great weekend!

Melina - Actor Headshots

Actor Melina Gammersbach, originally from Germany, may look familiar from the short film, "First Date" behind the scenes photography at Montauk Bar from a while back (which is coming right along and nearly ready for screening from what I hear!). Thanks to Andrea for reconnecting us!

TVOKids Reading Rangers eBook: Rangerpalooza!

Rangerpalooza is now out! The cast and crew of TVOKids "Reading Rangers" were amazing and a lot of fun to photograph. And how can you go wrong with such a great set and fantastic costumes?

So, if you find yourself in need of a little help with rhyming, you can download the newest Reading Rangers eBook for iPad (also available for Android and Blackberry devices) and Ranger Kara & Ranger Drew will be more than happy to lend a hand.

And if you happen to need a little extra math practice counting out change when you're out shopping, you're in luck - we also got to photograph Tumbleweed and friends for TVO's Tumbleweed's Yard Sale eBook last year [update: nominated for a 2013 Digi Award in the category "Best in Cross-Platform Kids"]-[double update: currently nominated for a Gemini at the Screen Awards. Digital Media Nominee in the category: Best Cross-Platform Project]. The chinchilla was crazy cute, but a bundle of energy and so...a little tricky to catch in one spot long enough to photograph.

In the Studio with Marife (Part I)

Update: Check out part II in the Red Dress Twirl post and now you can even take a peek under the dress in our behind the scenes video here (and even a "how to" tutorial over at Retouching Academy).

Marife was so great and so much fun, I almost doubted her when she said she had never done any modelling before!

If we ask her nicely, maybe we can convince her to do a very special and extra creative Part II....

Back to Nature for the Long Weekend

Another Canadian long weekend is just about here and I'm looking very forward to unplugging from the grid to relax with some really great friends. A few days at Depot Lakes has become somewhat of a tradition over the last couple of years, but this time I'm going to unplug so much that I think I'll even leave my camera gear at home and just take some pictures with my eyes this time!

Montauk Bar Toronto: Film Production

Last weekend was a lot of fun shooting behind the scenes for an independent film production called "First Date"at Montauk Bar- a slick space that opened up recently on Dundas West featuring some very cool decor that I can only describe as "rustic industrial".

More behind the scenes photos after the jump....

Thank you 500px: a little Twitter Love....

Thanks to 500px for all the love today across their various media sources today! Really appreciate all the kind words (Facebook - Twitter).


It's flattering to have my work featured in their Editor's Choice section alongside some absolutely breathtaking images in there!

Thanks also to Toque and Canoe, Gerry Forbes and everyone else for spreading the love as well.

Happy Canada Day!



Also drop by our new Facebook page and give us a like and keep in touch on Twitter!

Happy Canada Day!

Happy Canada Day Long weekend to fellow Canadians and near 4th of July to our neighbo(u)rs!

Thanks to Cristy for standing in and looking so patriotic!

[from the archives]

Kara Harun in the studio!

Kara Harun with vintage curly-cue headphones

Recently I had the good fortune of working with multi-talented musician, actor, and TV personality, Kara Harun. She came forewarned that she would likely wind up covered in headphones by the end of the shoot, but got off easy with only 6 pairs by the end.

Not totally sure anymore, but she's got so much hair she might even have 2 pairs on her head in the photo at the top!

Vancouver: Jennyfleur Loves...

Short and last minute trip out to Vancouver to meet up with Jennyfleur Loves... a fashion accessory and clothing boutique nestled in trendy Yaletown.

Models:
Sierra Tasi-Baker
MP

Styling:
Jennyfleur Loves...

Makeup:
Jenny Tseng

Hair:
Joyce Lin
Jacob Kim

Kodak Moments: Urban Exploration with Model

Abandoned spaces are undeniably interesting and a lot of people go to photograph those spaces. It's therefore automatically better then somehow to take a model, makeup artist, and another photographer/assistant just to help make it that much cooler!

Special thanks to model Eve H., makeup artist Veronica and photographer/lighting assistant Héctor for being so much fun to work with.

Click any image to see it larger.

Click images to see them larger

Dark Portrait...

...of a beautiful woman (to lighten the long winter)....