Gary Bremner

Industrial Portraiture Adventures


Admittedly, when I boarded on my first Airnorth flight in 2 years to head to Vancouver for a job, I did not expect I’d be standing approximately 130 feet underground just a few days later…

Did I deep breathe the entire walk down here? Yes, yes I did.

This is yet another reason I love this crazy job of ours…every week is an adventure, and this past month, that adventure took the GBP Team to two of Pomerleau’s latest projects in Vancouver, creating environmental portraits of their crews on the job! 

The Superintendent’s daily commute to work.

Industrial sites are always incredible to photograph, not only because they’re visually impressive, but also as it’s fascinating to learn just how much detail, planning, and person hours go into the structures and systems that we use, and likely take for granted, every single day.

In this case we were able to work with the teams building a new outfall pipeline for waste water, and seeing the construction that is involved in laying 200-580 meter long tunnels. Impressive to say the least!

From tug boats, to tunnels, to cranes and road building techniques…it was a whirlwind!
Here are a few of the images we created, and a few BTS along the way. A HUGE thanks to the Pomerleau crew’s we worked with. You guys were so informative and enthusiastic..we can’t wait to come back again!

And a little BTS for ya…

Photo 1: The boys loading all the gear while I take photos.

Photo 2: Gary and I had differing reactions to when I dared to question Siri and got us lost trying to get to our hotel. NEVER QUESTION SIRI.

Photo 3: As is the custom when you haven’t left home in 2 years, we pac-manned our way through the city in our down time. This is Dinner #2 of the evening

Photo 4: In depths! 130 feet underground in a tunnel!

Photo 5: Our boy Stu doing his best to shelter our gear during a sudden Vancouver downpour (luckily only lasted about 5 min)

Photo 6: When it rains…shelter under the bridge and keep it movin’

2021...A Doozy

And just like that I’m sitting here in the studio trying to think of what I want to say about the year we all just made it through…

I think the safest word I could use is DOOZY to summarize what the past 12 months have been.

But in the end, we made it! There may have been a few tears (there were definitely tears), and a few sleepless nights (discovered melatonin this year!) but we wrapped the year by forcing ourselves to take a couple weeks off during the holidays to catch our breath a bit as a family.

As the break came to a close, we ended up heading down to the waterfront and watching the city’s fireworks display on New Years Eve which surprisingly led to a moment that really struck me… Turns out, in order to get your head back in the game, you just need to hang out with a 5 year old…

See it was our daughter’s first year she was old enough to stay up late enough to watch the fireworks. She was so excited she was vibrating, and when the first few colourful bursts hit the ice fog night sky, you could literally hear the joy bursting from her face as she screamed out “whoooaaa! Christmas colours!! Christmaaaaaas colourssssss!” She was witnessing magic in real time and it made me remember you can always find the magical moments in your day once you actually have the time to stop, breathe, and just look for them.

You see even though this year was stressful, unpredictable, and oh so very draining, in that moment I remembered how much good there also was. I just needed the time to take a breathe to remember that.

So I figured now that we’re into January and trying to plod along through what has so far been more unpredictability, let’s still take some time to breathe and remember those magical moments. The good parts of the past year, as they are always there if you look for them.

Last year, we got to work with some pretty epic clients and when trying to produce long term projects in the midst of a pandemic, you also get to KNOW your clients. We commiserated, we adapted deadlines and processes and we found ways to make things work as a team.

In the film realm, we got to work with Northern Council for Global Cooperation (NCGC) to produce a storytelling project with the James family out in Carcross. This was a huge highlight and honour for us, as we got to work with the family to take a traditional story that was originally recorded of their late grandmother Lucy Wren, and have 4 more generations of Lucy’s family tell the story in their own voices, weaving together the teachings with footage of them being together as a family on their land. There were so many laughs shared and it was such a special project to be a part of…. To witness in real time what family connection, traditions and knowledge look like and the power they have. Gunalchîsh to the James family for having us.

Then there was the literal joy that is working with someone who may be the most positive person we’ve ever met? We did a Travel Yukon spot with Gurdeep Pandher for Cossette and I am not even exaggerating when I say the skies weirdly opened up for us the night we had planned to film on top of a mountain and we got to witness an absolutely stunning sunset while filming Gurdeep dance. It was one of those moments I looked around and was so grateful that this is somehow what we get to do for a living…

And finishing off our year in filming, we were able to work with Yukon University over a multiple months to create a promotional video for their Indigenous Institute for Self Determination (IISD). Showcasing traditional on the land activities, and innovation in education and leadership, this was a project we were really proud to be a part of and we got to work with some incredible leaders and community members to pull it all off. There were hiccups along the way (like needing to re-schedule due to covid exposures, creating changing timelines, etc) but the team we got to work with on this adapted and pivoted every time ensuring we all got to create something we are proud of. Gunalchîsh, Màhsi’ cho to everyone involved. It will be released in the next few weeks and we’re excited to share it with you all then!

Then there was the incredible diversity in photography we got to do this year. From chasing dogs with Fawkestrot Adventures, to beauty portraits and BTS with Cheekbone Beauty and TSU North, to local sustainable fashion campaigns or holiday dining campaigns with Hudson’s Bay, we’ve been BUSY. This is a selection of just a few of our favourites, but I’ll be sure to share more in the coming months.

And last but so very far from the least, absolutely NONE of this would have been possible without the incredible production crew we’ve gotten to work with this year. We can’t thank these people enough, and although this isn’t an exhaustive list, we wanted to give a special giant THANK YOU to a few of our key players who kept this train a runnin’ this year.

The incredibly talented Lea-Ann McNally, who has done everything from set and prop building, to production assisting, and everything in between. Absolutely always game to hop on set, we are so grateful to have you on the team!

Mike Code, whether you’re on sound, camera, or aerials, you make it a guaranteed a good work day and we’re so grateful for your laid back, always amazing attitude in everything you do.

And for those of you who haven’t gotten to meet him yet…Our guy STU! Stu moved up from BC late summer to officially join GBP as our first full time employee and I’m not actually sure how we did all this without him for so long? Stu is now one of our main editors, production crew, and second shooter. He also puts up with Gary’s lame dad jokes, my “morning gratitudes” which I forget to do 90% of the time, and has jumped into the adventure that is life in Yukon full throttle. We are so grateful you’ve joined the crew and can’t wait to see what the new year brings to the team.

We know 2022 won’t be perfect, as nothing ever is…but here’s to taking a breath during the chaos and trying to see the good that is most definitely out there.

We’ve got this team.

What am I an Expert?

When getting a project done entails everything from wading through a creek holding your lights over your heads, to finding just the right angle to shoot a tray of bird specimens, you know it’s going to be a fascinating ride…

And that’s exactly what our latest project with Yukon University was! We were lucky enough to get to create this series of portraits and action shots of some of the University’s experts.


From Ornithology to Mine Remediation, and Climate Change, Yukon University has a vast group of faculty and researches who share their expertise both locally and globally.

We got to learn a lot over the course of this project, in particular, just how much research is happening right here in the North that we didn’t even realize!

For more info on just how many different fields are being worked on here, check out Yukon U’s website.

And here are a few of our favourite images from the series. Thanks for letting us tag along as your students everyone!

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Dumplings...but make it fashion.

One of our favourite things about working with small business owners is getting to know the people behind the businesses we all frequent.

We first met Anne through her work at Solvest (a northern based solar company) a few years ago, but recently got to know that before moving to the Yukon, she actually worked in Fashion both in England,Toronto, then remotely from Yukon, right up until Covid when she decided to follow her other passion…food!

So now we’ve witnessed her grow her newest venture, Anne’s Dumplings, over the past year into the bustling and ever growing company that it is today! (If you haven’t tried them yet, please get on it…you are missing out!)

So when we were asked to do an editorial shoot of Anne, we knew we wanted to try to bring in some elements of fashion (because you KNOW she showed up with some gorgeous shoes to show off) and make this ‘foodie’ shoot elegant.

We wanted to ensure we had a minimalist set (her pristine commercial kitchen was perfect-we got in early before the dumpling making begins!) , and used a bit darker of lighting to set a more glamorous mood to the shoot. We were so happy with how they worked out and as always, Anne was amazing to work with. We absolutely can’t wait to see where she takes this venture next…

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And so it begins...Hello 2021!

New year…SAME US! (just slightly more grizzled…)

Last year was a DOOZY to say the least, and we’re certainly not naive enough to think that a change in calendar year is going to take away all the hardships. HOWEVER, that being said, we do know that even a perceived fresh start can go a long way…

It’s also a great opportunity to simply take breath and reflect on what WAS good last year. As challenging as it was, there were some pretty great moments too.

We had the privilege of working with an incredible group of clients last year. As much as we were able to help them reach their goals and complete their projects, they also helped us…we were able to keep this family run business up and running throughout a global pandemic and that was all because we have the best community and clients we could ever ask for who believed in us, who trusted us with their visions, and let us get creative.

Looking back over our work this year, a few things stuck out to us.

First, it was a year of composites! As we had to ensure we had safe spacing between people, one of the most efficient ways we could still get teams together was to actually photograph everyone separately and then bring them together in post production! We have always loved composite work, but it just became even more practical this year as a way to keep people safe.

Secondly…our small business community! What an absolute roller coaster of a year for so many small business owners. We were absolutely honoured to be able to work with many of them as they found new and innovative ways to continue to serve their clients-whether that was moving their products and services online, or ensuring new PPE standards were in place to keep both staff and employees safe. We are so damn proud of every single one of them for making it through this crazy year.

And finally…the thing that always gets us through our hard times…a sense of humour. Without it, we wouldn’t have made it. Thanks to everyone who shared a laugh with us either in front of the camera, or behind the scenes as part of our crew.

So thank you to all we worked with over the year, and we absolutely can’t wait to see what adventures the new year brings…although if it was a little less intense, we wouldn’t be mad about it… ;)

Twisted Gourmet and the bountiful forest...

When I was prepping for one of our latest shoots a few weeks back, I didn’t expect i’d be getting a full body workout in before the day was over…but that’s what you get when you shoot on location with Twisted Gourmet….

We started the day by winding our way through a moss covered forest, excitedly yelling out every time we found a mushroom, to get to a lookout with one of the best views in town…and by the afternoon, I found myself holding a light stand high up over my head, as I attempted to tip toe through another forest, dodging the patches of giant red cranberries with each step…

For those who don’t know Deborah, she’s the powerhouse behind Twisted Gourmet, a Yukon based spice company that creates small batch seasoning and spice blends. Her delicious products feature local Yukon harvested ingredients like low bush cranberries, wild rose and sage. (Just to name a few)


With the support of the Yukon University’s Pivot Program, we were able to work with Deborah this fall to create some new imagery for her website and marketing. Just like many other businesses, when COVID hit, Twisted Gourmet needed to ensure online sales were easily available, all the while continuing to stock local grocery stores and vendors.

We wanted to ensure that we stayed true to her wild, Yukon foraging roots with the look and feel, so we took her products to their natural habitat-out to the forest where she gathers some of the very ingredients you can find in her product!

We couldn’t have asked for a better fall day to do the shoot-the sun and the eagles came out to ensure everything looked it’s best, including our wonderful models (and real life Twisted Gourmet customers!) It was one of those shoots that was varied, and playful, and all around enjoyable and we were just so stoked to be able to team up with such a great local company.

Thanks for being so lovely Deborah, and we promise not to reveal the location of the bountiful cranberry patch…your secret is safe with us! ;)






Commercial Photography: A Mixed bag

One of the many things we love about commercial photography is the fact that no two shoots are really ever the same, and this recent one we did was no exception!

We are excited to share some of these images from our recent work with Home Hardware, as it was one of those projects that got us to create a variety of different types of imagery for a client, all the while maintaining a consistent style throughout.

The client was doing a website update, and so wanted some new, cohesive photos to go with it. They bascially needed three different types of images: Headshots of some of the management team, environmental portraits, and then exterior/architectural shots.

We did this shoot over the course of two days. First, starting with setting up our headshot gear on location, for the ease of the team coming over to do their photos. Then we moved onto setting up the ‘in action’ or environmental portraits throughout the store where we get to capture employees doing their thing, as well as the interior building shots.

And finally, the next morning we set out bright and early before the store opened, in order to capture that beautiful morning light for the final series of exterior shots to show off the location.

We love projects like this as it allows us to utilize various skill sets all within one job. Moving from connecting one on one with a person to capture their headshot, to taking into account background details and working in a bustling store during work hours, to sitting patiently and waiting for the sun to light up a specific detail of a building…it’s projects like this that allow us to explore all the different types of skills we’ve gathered over the years and it feels great when we get to see the final product out in the world!


From Board Rooms to Burning Buildings...

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So this summer has been busy to say the least...but that just makes it an exciting one!

Gary just got back recently from an assignment in Ontario, covering GoldCorp's 2018 Mine Rescue Summit. This was nerdy Gary's dream gig as he got to bring in all of his past experience with high angle rescue, fall protection and love of knot tying from his Communication tower building, and safety lead days. 

Mine rescue teams from every Goldcorp operation were brought together for a week of intensive training and the GBP team got to create both 'in action' and environmental portraits of the whole experience.  Emergency scenarios included everything from first aid, to high angle rope rescue, low visibility search and rescue, confined space rescue, firefighting, train derailment, aircraft extrication, and underground mine rescue! Again...nerdy Gary was stoked....

It was such a diverse assignment, as Gary's style of 'on site', documentary style work definitely involves getting as up and close as he can to the action. This meant he took the opportunity to renew some safety certifications like fall protection before heading out, and that he had to work very closely with the extremely strict safety protocols that were in place. 

In addition, our awesome drone pilot, Mike Code of Burning Grouse Productions, came along so that they were also able to get vantage points that would have been impossible from the ground in a safe way, which allowed for some really unique shots!

Then there was the battle of the 30 degree humid Ontario heat to work in while they were photographing rescue scenarios in front of 30 foot tall flames...

Needless to say, one of Gary's favourite assignments as of late. As our whole business is centred around photographing people and organizations at work, we are so lucky that we get to experience quite a variety of assignments throughout our year. From board rooms, to burning buildings...it's always an adventure, and we wouldn't have it any other way!

 

 

T1D. A Portrait Series

Earlier this spring we were lucky enough to be asked to do a portrait project for an amazing local organization called the Yukon T1D Support Network.

This organization provides peer supports, education, and advocacy for Yukon citizens diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes, many of which are children. 

As part of an awareness project, the organizers wanted us to create a series of portraits of various community members who are either diagnosed themselves, or are family members of people who are living with T1D. 

We were so honoured to be able to work with such an inspiring group of people and were so excited with how they turned out.

If you, or someone you know has T1D and is looking for more support, advocacy, information or just a place to connect with some pretty amazing people-you should check out the Yukon T1D Support Network! 

 

 

 

Showcase your company: Creating a photo library

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One of the most popular services we offer our clients, is creating photo libraries for them.

In order to stay current and relevant with online marketing, one of the most beneficial things for a company to do is to have a library of images that they can pull from on any given day. 

So instead of having a few standard shots that are used throughout different platforms, many of our clients instead are asking us to do a series of images, so that they have more to utilize over a longer period of time. In this way, they have a larger variety of media to choose from, and can therefore react to current events, or simply have better control over what media and images are highlighted over time.

We love this type of assignment as it really relies on our ability to shoot a variety of different scenarios and locations, but still retain a consistent look/feel for the client so their media is diverse but also cohesive all at the same time.  Sounds like a challenge!? We'll take it...

Today we thought we'd share a few examples from a recent photo library we created with the City of Whitehorse. It was so fun over the course of a few months to work with such a large variety of departments, in order to showcase the variety of work the employees do. From winter to summer, office work to heavy machinery, we got to highlight it all. 

If this is something you're interested in more of, give us a shout at info@gbpcreative.ca and we can chat about how a photo library might be useful for you!