Finish Line Portaits-Raven 50 Miler Ultra

July 28, 2023

You know that feeling you get when you push your body and mind to the absolute limit on one of the hottest days of the year, all so that you can cross under a banner and run, hobble, or jump into the arms of people you love?

 THESE PEOPLE DO!

Ultra running is truly one of the best sports there is…(and yes I may be bias as a distance runner myself, but that’s just because I truly understand just how good that finish line feels after a long day on the trails)

It was SO fun watching all of these athletes pour themselves into the Raven 50miler earlier this month, and be there to welcome them with a finish line portrait. The race takes place in the Traditional Territories of the Kwanlin Dün First Nation and the Ta’an Kwäch’än Council, with much of the trail being in Kwanlin Dün’s traditional hunting grounds and on settlement land. A huge Shä̀w níthän, Másin cho, GunałchÎsh and Hiy Hiy to both for the opportunities we are given to take in the beauty of these lands!

We weren’t sure what to expect when we originally signed up to volunteer for this race. Ultra running is an intense sport, and when we woke up to the news that it was going to be a scorcher of a day out there, we weren’t sure if we’d be getting a lot of broken humans crossing that line, or how people would feel.

BUT we quickly realized that we were going to be witnessing a lot of sweaty smiles, proud tears, and pure exhausted joy as people flew across that line and were ushered in for a portrait.

The joy, the high fives, the family and friends that were pulled in for photos because everyone knows you don’t finish one of these things without many months of support…what an awesome thing to witness.

Huge Congrats to all of you racers for finishing one tough race!

**Runners we didn’t realize you hadn’t gotten these yet!! Please feel free to save, share and post your images from the link below:

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/jfhmj7vyb6wddrg7kw4w8/h?rlkey=u8ing16fbzt99f5zf10dh7kj9&dl=0

2022...A big one!

January 11, 2023

So as I sat down to look at our 2022 year in review, I realized that in the entire last year I posted a whopping….TWO blog posts! And that, my friends, is how you know 2022 was absolutely bonkers…It wasn’t that we didn’t have stuff to share- it was that I was literally just too busy to sit down and write!

SO, sitting here sipping a coffee on this fine January day ( I can see blue sky and sun out there team!!) I figured it’s about time I got to that good old year end reflection…and what a year it was!

Looking back, I am realizing this was a year of a lot more larger scale, long term projects. So instead of a one-off shoot, we were looking at film projects that are expanding over the course of another year, and photo campaigns with multiple phases, often being released months after the actual shoot happened.  

We travelled for our National clients, and had our Manitobah Mukluks photos released in stores nation wide!

GBP and Nwtel make it to the Arctic Ocean! (Definitely no photoshop used here…)

We’re also seeing more of our larger clients taking full advantage of the fact we have taken our initially small (just Gary and I!) photo company back when we started, and developed into a full service production company…it seems like it all happened so fast, but turns out 14 years have gone by since we first got started! 

It’s been really exciting (although I’d be lying if I didn’t also say stressful at times!) being in this industry during a time where such big shifts are happening. Now, it’s seen more and more that Photographers are also being asked to be Directors. Clients need both photography and film on the same campaigns, and in growing into a full service production company, that’s what we now offer to many of our clients.

One of the biggest things we have both talked about this year so many times, is how truly grateful we are for the clients we have that are putting their trust in us and empowering us to execute their vision. Having clients that trust in our process and our style is truly the biggest compliment. (And that also goes for the incredible agencies and collaborators we’ve gotten to work with as well. Aasmans, Cossette, Design Station, Pixie Ingram…so grateful!)

We also now have a full-time employee (Shout out to Stu!!) and a big team of amazing crew we bring on so that we can scale to whatever size production is needed depending on the project at hand. We are SO grateful to them all and if you don’t know them, you should definitely check them out as they are the DREAM TEAM!

From our RANDOM requests for props I didn’t even know were possible to find (Sweet Tara how you had an original 1950’s tanning reflector I still will never understand), to helicoptered in Hair Styling on top of a mountain (Victoria got her first helicopter ride this year!)…We are so grateful for this crew of talent that continues to join the team.

Tara Kolla: Our props, wardrobe and set design extraordinaire IG: @wishfactory

Akiko Allen: Make up artist and absolute pro

Victoria Williams: Hairstylist and seasoned helicopter passenger IG: @hairbyvictoriawilliams_

Caroline Westberg: Special effects mastermind!

Mike Code: Aerials, audio, and all around best energy on set

Dave Hamelin: Audio wizard, editor, film production pro

Henry Gilson: Production Assistant Champion

And special shout out to all the AMAZING Catering provided all year to our various productions. No job goes well if people are hungry…and these pros kept us fed with ridiculously delicious goods no matter the location or the weather! Alicat Catering IG: @alicatcatering, Bonton IG: @bontonandco, Caribou Crossing Coffee IG: @cariboucrossingcoffee

We also have been teaming up with other amazing Production companies in town which we are so damn grateful for. Getting to collaborate with other creatives, helping make large scale productions happen just never gets old. So much gratitude to both TSU North and Shot in the Dark Productions-here’s to many more collabs ahead!

We’re so stoked to be hitting the ground running this year-we’ve got some very meaningful and exciting projects in the works and although I don’t make resolutions, I will say I’ll try better to get on here and share a bit more this year.

Until then, here’s a few of the highlights of 2022…Grateful for what we’ve been able to create, and so looking forward to even more. 2023 let’s gooooooo!

Dumplings...but make it fashion.

May 11, 2021

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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Spark Coaching and Consulting

November 13, 2020

We hear a lot of family photographers talk about how special it is for them to be able to capture families growing together over the years, and with us…we feel the exact same way, we just happen to document people’s business ‘babies’ instead…

We’ve been lucky enough to work with a number of clients over the years who we’ve watched first hand as they grow and develop from that initial leap of faith, just starting out , getting their first head shots as they take the leap into a new career…all the way to them hustling with a full time business, landing dream clients and developing marketing campaigns to grow even further! 

We recently got to work with the wonderful Jennifer England of Spark Coaching again who is one of those clients we’ve witnessed excel at what she does and grow her business into something so meaningful and rewarding. As she was planning a website re-fresh, she wanted to get a new set of imagery that would really capture her personality and depth, as her work as a leadership strategist and coach involves really being able to connect with her clients and she wanted imagery that would let people get a glimpse into who she is.

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She was even willing to brave a doozy of a wind storm during one of our last weeks of fall here to capture that golden light and connection to nature…and we’re sure happy she did because we are stoked with how the shoot all turned out.

We love being able to be part of celebrating the work people do-the causes they are committed to, and the passion that goes into being an entrepreneur.

T1D Portraits-Part Two

February 10, 2020

We were recently approached by the Yukon T1D Support Network to add a few more portraits to the series we started with them back in 2018. Knowing the impact this organization has on families who are navigating a life with T1D, we were of course happy to make it happen.

The Yukon T1D Support Network helps Yukoners who have Type 1 Diabetes through education, advocacy and support. We heard first hand through some of the families we worked with, how incredibly important their work is. Within a day of having a new diagnosis for their child, for example, people from the network had reached out and offered supports, helping them through the first overwhelming and frightening days trying to navigate this new reality.

Yet another incredible group of people in our community, putting everything they have into helping those around them. We are completely honoured to be able to work alongside them to create images that celebrate the strength, resiliency, and joy these families have in the face of T1D. They will be used as part of a new advocacy and awareness campaign.

And we also wanted to take the time to thank the incredible models/families who volunteer to be a part of this portrait series. To share your story, and to be an advocate while many are in newly diagnosed stages, and still trying to navigate this ‘new’ life they are leading. Thank you. You are inspiring.