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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The Collective Good-Growing up and getting cozy

September 03, 2020

You know when you were younger, and you’d run into a parents friend and they would exclaim “Look at how big you’ve gotten! I remember you when you were just a baby!” and you’d blush and not know what to say? 
I’m now that friend, as I step into the multiple rooms of the Collective Good, seeing all that it’s grown up to be… I think to myself “I remember you, when you were just a little corner shop by the stairs here in the Horwoods mall, that could only fit one person at a time!”

Established in 2013, The Collective Good, owned and operated by Jen and Paul, has grown into one of Yukon’s most unique shops, bursting with treasures from beautifully crafted greeting cards, to Canadian clothing, jewelry, books and furniture. The variety of products featured in The Collective Good all have one thing in common-good design.

We recently did a two part shoot for them, first, capturing just a bit of the store itself, highlighting the different areas you can browse, and secondly, an apparel shoot to show off one of their newest unique products: The Handknit Yukon Coat of Arms Heritage Sweater.

Being a Yukon family run business ourselves, it is one of our favourite things to be able to work with and celebrate other family-run businesses. With this one, we got to get the whole crew together, just days before school started to take in one last quiet Yukon summer morning.

Lucky for us, Jen used her skills to not only find and purchase the perfect red pick up that matches their “Yukon Truck” design… (Ok, she may not have purchased it specifically for this photoshoot, but it sure did come in handy) but she also secured this iconic Yukon location which was an amazing backdrop to work with. (HUGE thank you to the Grant family for allowing us to do our shoot on their property.)

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We wanted to showcase the sweaters and truck t-shirts, but without them being the main ‘focus’ of the image…it’s more that they just fit into the scene naturally. A Yukon family, enjoying a beautiful little cabin experience. Looking good-with good design.

(Also, bringing in the ringer…Miss Honey didn’t hurt either. 10/10 dog model. Would work with again.)

Here’s to many more years of watching you grow Collective Good!

Cultured Fine Cheese...looking Gouda!

August 19, 2020

You know when you walk into a space, and you can just feel good energy and can’t help but be happy to be there? That’s what we feel like every time we walk into Cultured Fine Cheese….

Anyone who knows Larra, the owner, knows her beaming smile, and her ability to make you feel welcomed, loved, and listened to…all the while you thought you were just going in to grab a few new cheeses to try…

Like many other small businesses, Cultured Fine Cheese was faced with some pretty overwhelming hurdles due to the pandemic. Being small, but mighty though, they were able to quickly adapt to offering online orders and curb-side pickup to get them through the months where things were more locked down. Now, as we’re able to open up more, they are back to serving their customers in person, allowing that client interaction that the staff are so well known for!

Needless to say, when Larra reached out to see if we would be interested in getting them some new imagery for their website and social media, we were all in…from capturing the family out enjoying this amazing Yukon home they have, to the dedicated staff who are part of the bigger family that is Cultured Fine Cheese…any day we get to work with good people, doing good things, we are right where we want to be!

Editor’s note: When I read this out loud to Gary his feed back was:
“It needs more cheese puns!…like It was all gouda!”
“I’m gonna google it!”
“Cheddar him than me!”
“Sweet dreams are made of cheese! bahahahahah”

Sigh…

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.

Borealis Soul

February 04, 2020 in commercial photography

Our very last shoot of 2019 ended up being an interesting one not only in subject matter, but in logistics too which is the perfect storm for us….

The Borealis Soul crew had gotten a hold of us as they have a feature coming up in a National dance magazine and needed some new images for it. We were stoked to take this on, not only because they’re just a crew of awesome humans, but also because we got to do something a bit outside the box by turning a local frozen landscape into our set for the day.

So, in -24C weather, we headed out early to set up a wall tent along the shores of Fish Lake, alongside the ice fishers and snowmobilers. This was to serve as our warming tent where the talent could grab a cup of tea and snacks while warming up between takes. Our #1 priority of the day was safety-no frozen toes or fingers..something you have to take seriously during a full day Yukon winter shoot.

BTS Photo by: Mikaela Kruse Photography and shout out to Lea-Ann McNally for the pro assist!

We then bundled up in as many layers as we could and worked for the ‘full day’ of sunlight, which in December in the Yukon was from about 10am-4pm.

What we realized when we booked the shoot was that we’d coincidentally planned it for the weekend of the shortest day of the year…SO knowing that we had limited daylight, we had to be super efficient, well thought out and methodical in planning the day to ensure we used every bit of our limited time out there.

The bonus of the shortest day of the year, however, is that it results in a beauty golden light basically all day….The “golden hour” doesn’t exist up here in December…instead you basically get “golden days”.

The crew was so great to work with, and we’re stoked with the results!

Klondike Kettle Corn

March 05, 2019

One of our favourite projects so far this year was getting to work with Klondike Kettle Corn to develop some new imagery for their upcoming website re-launch and marketing materials!

Anyone who follows the work we do, knows we love working with small businesses and entrepreneurs, and getting to know Katie and her family was no exception. We got to do some lifestyle images with them, and they even braved the -40 weather we happened to get that weekend so that we could get some authentic Yukon Outdoor lifestyle shots! They were total pros the whole time. Our computer/tether system, however of course decided it didn’t want to work in -40, so we just did without….

Then, we went into a new realm that we haven’t tried before…food photography! For this set, we partnered up with Tara Kolla, a local stylist, who came to the GBP studio and worked with us for the day. We were so happy with how these turned out…and we can also confirm these flavours do in fact taste as good as they look. There was a LOT of taste testing going down…And our computer/tether system enjoyed this temperature a lot more.