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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A great place to Gather

March 01, 2021

We’re not gonna lie…we have a soft spot in our hearts for family run businesses…As one ourselves, we understand the full family commitment it takes to keep these trains a runnin’.

Whether that’s trading off who works late, impromptu ‘bring your kid to work’ days (Mabel was on her first set at 6 weeks old!) or doing business planning over dinner…it takes the whole crew working together and loving what you do.

So needless to say, when we got asked to create some imagery for Gather Cafe and Taphouse recently, we were stoked. Gather is a self-described “eclectic restaurant” located in the Lumel Studios building here in Whitehorse.

Owners John and Shanta Ferguson, have created an incredibly unique space, that is filled with colours and textures from floor to ceiling. The ambience fits in perfectly to the attached Lumel Studios, which just so happens to be the Grandparent’s place-Lu and Mel!

So, the day we were there to photograph, Grandma and Grandpa watched the kids, so that we could get our shots done with John and Shanta. Like any family run business, it takes a team to make it all come together…Combing their loves of good coffee, good beer, and good food, adding in a health dash of cozy atmosphere, Gather is a place you just want to spend time in!

From meals made with as many locals ingredients as possible, to drinks served in hand made glassware created right next store at Lumel, you can tell thought was put into every detail of the place.

We can’t wait to go back to enjoy the space again and definitely suggest if you haven’t had a chance, to go check it out!

Cheers to Polarity

February 04, 2021 in commercial photography

Whether you’re celebrating the start of a fresh new month, the fact we’ve made it through this week, or you’re just excited about this glorious sunshine that’s coming back to us a little more each day…we are lucky to have some pretty great places to treat ourselves in this fine community of ours.

One of the newer ones on the block is Polarity Brewing! They started up last year…admittedly a bit of a difficult time to open up a pub, but nothing can stop delicious brews, and awesome meals featuring as many local farm products as possible!

They even have an outdoor deck you can cozy up to a fire table at to stay Covid-safe while you toast to your weekly accomplishments!

We always love celebrating our local businesses, but especially during a time that has been so difficult on the food/beverage industry, we’d like to cheers to all you hard working businesses owners out there still making it work and providing us with little local escapes.

Here’s to Friday everyone-cheers!

Twisted Gourmet and the bountiful forest...

October 22, 2020

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! ;)

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New look...who dis?

October 08, 2020

Ok, we can all agree, it’s been a rough year so far…I think it’s about time we all take a deep breath, put our feet up and get some pampering done….and have we got the spot for you….

We were SO stoked when we were asked by the wonderful Ammanda Partridge of Elements Spa to work with her on some new imagery for a website upgrade the company was doing. Ammanda and her team are one of the many incredible small businesses we have here in Yukon who, in the face of extreme uncertainty and challenges this spring, found a way to keep fighting through it and are now back open, and thriving. With support through the PIVOT program at Yukon University, we were able to team up with Ammanda to help her showcase the range of services and service providers she has on her team.

Ammanda wanted to make sure her new imagery was authentic (and not just use stock images), and we didn’t want to just go with the expected either…it would have been easy to simply grab a few shots of their facility (which is gorgeous), along with some traditional head shots of her staff, but instead we went in a more stylized direction. We wanted to highlight the services they offer, but use Yukon models (and real customers!) and also plan them so that they would fit the aesthetic of her new site which was clean, calm and spacious.

SO with that in mind, we spent the day with an incredible group of people creating this new set of imagery below that we’re so excited with.

We cannot recommend the Elements Spa team enough if you’re looking to treat yourself or someone you love….they’re a wonderful team (who happen to make excellent models too)

Check them out at: https://www.elementshairandspa.ca/

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…

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.