Outdoor Light-Studio Style...GBP Creative Photography and Video

Some of our favourite portraits as of late, we got when we were asked by Up Here Magazine to shoot Claude Vallier, who is one of our premier backcountry skiers.  

(Get their latest issue to check out the article!)

Sweet assignment right??!  Problem was, at the time, there was no snow outside for us to use… and a portrait of Claude in normal clothes standing outside in the dirt seemed like a bit of a waste compared to the graphic elements of an awesome skier in full ski gear and the beauty of soft, snowy light. So... the only choice was to hit the studio and make it look like an epic snowy day...Challenge accepted.

SO have you ever been outside on a bright, snowy winter day? The light is rad… it comes from everywhere…well, I mean, it comes from the sun of course, but then bounces off the ground and the trees and everything else that is covered with snow (think giant white reflectors from every direction) and creates this amazing, soft, beautiful wrapping light….. 

So in order to get that all encompassing light feeling, we had to ask ourselves, how do we create that in the studio??  Turns out it takes a crap load of lights…. or 5... cause that’s what I ended up using, and a whooooooole lotta reflection. 

This was a cool setup because we used the studio "backwards", meaning, instead of having your subject stand in front of the big white backdrop wall, we instead put him at the other side of the room from the big white wall, with the camera's 'back' to the wall instead.  Fortunately our studio is painted flat white which makes it easier because this whole thing involves using the walls to create massive soft white light sources. (See super-detailed and very scientific diagram below)

The main thing to watch out for with this set-up is lens flare, as there is a lot of light going everywhere and it makes it really hard to minimize flare (which will washout and reduce contrast in your image)…. I have found that my 100mm f2.8 macro handles flare way better than any other portrait length lens I have, so it wasn't too much of a problem this time.

So, for you lighting nerds out there (oh how we love you guys...we are kindred spirits), here's a little breakdown of what we did...

A : 1 bare bulb light aimed directly up at the ceiling to create the light coming down from above (this was our key light).

B: 2 barebulb lights aimed back behind me to bounce off the back wall and angled ceiling to make our fill (about 1/2 stop under key)

C: 1 diffused uplight to mimic the light bouncing off the snow/ ground (1 stop under key)

D: 1 light behind subject to make our white background completely white and even glow a bit (about a stop brighter than group B lights)

After that's set up, you dress up a dude in ski gear and BAM you're shooting beautiful outside snowy light portraits in the comfort of you slippers! 

HUGE thanks to Claude for being so great to work with too...turns out he's crazy talented AND an awesome guy...

Adventure lover on your Xmas list? GBP Creative Photography and Video

Alright the countdown is on...Santa's gonna be squeezing into your living room in just a few short weeks, and we just so happen to know that he had a bit too much egg nog one night and is asking for some help to check off the gift lists this year....

So...if you've got an adventure lover on your list, we're here to help you out!

We have  prints from our 'Gear Room' series available, with custom frames done by the oh-so-awesome Steve Brewis of Northern Frameworks!

And since we're in the Christmas spirit, we're going to give you a SALE!

Originally $300, we are selling each for

$250.00

instead!

So...who's on your list? A climber? Canoe lover? Mountaineer? Biker? We've got you (and Santa) covered....

For more info on purchasing a print, give us a shout at info@garbremner.com

**Features a simple black metal frame, with a clean white matt.  Glass is standard, gallery grade glass and print is on high quality exhibition fibre paper.  Each total frame size is 51cm x 68cm

Old Cabin...by GBP Creative Photography and VIdeo

Before heading out onto his most recent tour, our buddy Jona Barr of Old Cabin came over to the GBP studio to get some new photos done for his Press Kit...

We were stoked with the results...and if you're looking for some awesome new music and haven't already, go grab his album...it's wicked!  

http://oldcabin.bandcamp.com

Headshot station...GBP Creative Photography and Video

Lookin' good, and feelin' great...That's what a head shot should make people think of...and we think our latest client fits that description perfectly.

Headshots are a great way to show off your personality and professionalism-and with all of the use of web content and social media these days, having a good quality photo (or even video as we're starting to do for some clients), can go a long way...

If you're interested in the benefits of head shots and getting some new images for your business give us a shout!

Info@garybremner.com

Prom Dress Portraits-GBP Creative Photography and Video

So this is the time of year when hundreds of Yukon grade 12 students are getting ready to finish up their high school career and jump out into the world on a variety of adventures, whether that's through more school, working, or travelling...

But first, there is graduation. And there is prom.  Time to celebrate all of the hard work that went into getting them to where they are at...We'd like to say we remember exactly how that feels, but we're trying not to think about the fact it's been a while since we were both in their shoes....Like we don't even want to do the math...

BUT that's not the point! The point is to celebrate all of these young adults that are about to embark on the next phase of their lives...and we got to work with one exceptional young lady that fits into this category recently as her mom gave her some portrait sessions with us as a grad gift.

So this is part one of that series...the "Lookin' like a hollywood bombshell" half! 

For this shoot, we really wanted to focus in on the glamour of her dress, hair, makeup and energy, so we decided to go with a nice, simple studio environment with a bit darker of a backdrop to contrast with the tones of her dress.

We could not have asked for a better model...you looked stunning Megan! 

Old Time Machine does it again...GBP Creative Photography and Video

Well, it's finally here! We've been waiting to release these shots as it's been one of our favorite projects to date!

So not only did we get to work with one of our favorite bands again (if you haven't checked them out yet, do yourselves a favour and head over to Old Time Machine's facebook page to see what they're up to lately), but we also got to collaborate with one of our favorite local artists, Joseph Tisiga as well...

So some of you may remember the press shots we did for OTM last year that went a little something like this:

Well, for that same album, Joseph did the cover art along with Eleanor Rosenberg which looked a little something like this:

Now, the OTM boys were stoked with both pieces, but for their newest releases, they really wanted to be able to have the photography and the artwork be more cohesive...SO, what happened? Collaboration magic exploded in our studio...

So for the latest shots, Joseph used cut outs, painted the background, and came up with the wooden log concept, while we then photographed each piece separately, did portraits of Ryan and Kyle, and then pieced it all together to fit one unique, scene...

Although it sounds like a fairly simple process, it actually took a lot of work.  The 'statues' are actually all small hand-cut out images that Joseph collected, which were then individually shot in the studio attached to tiny skewers to hold their shape.

The logs, borrowed from a friend's wood pile, were then all also photographed individually.  

And then there's the hand-painted background...this came about as we were trying to think of what the backdrop would be when suddenly, joseph pulled a paintbrush out of his pocket (because he just happened to have one there...unreal), dipped it into his cup of coffee, and started to paint on a piece of paper...so simple, yet it fit the final image perfectly.

Then there were the portraits themselves which were each shot and processed separately.

And finally, Gary then also created individual shadows for each statue in order to create the depth he was looking for in the final image. He then also added 

a light texture and color wash to the entire piece so that it had a cohesive feel.

And the result??

A GBP, Old Time Machine and Joseph Tisiga collaboration that looks a little something like this:

Hope you guys enjoy it...and be sure to stay tuned as their newest single, "All the While" is going to be release May 28th and it is gonna be DOPE! In fact, you can stream it early

here

!

Family portraits in the studio-GBP Creative Photography and Video

What do you get when you take a great family with two adorable, energetic and we must also say, insanely polite little boys and do a studio session with them?

Some pretty fun photos...that's what.

But possibly the best part of the session?... The fact that Gary got to look up Sasquatch photos during a break with the boys (they requested, Gary happily obliged).

Ad Campaign Photography-GBP Creative Photography and Video

Well after a week and a half out of town, we are back in the GBP studio and lovin' it! Turns out when you leave for a week in May, you get home and it's spring! YEsssssssss....

And since we're getting back to business here, we thought it was time to share a couple shots from a recent ad campaign we did the photography for, for Hospice Yukon for this year's Palliative Care Week.

The goal of this campaign was to really show the faces behind the hard work of Hospice Yukon and feature some stories of both the people who work there, as well as the people who have accessed the services.

We wanted the shots to reflect the openness and caring attitudes of the models, and we were stoked with how they turned out!

In the Studio-GBP Creative Photography and Video

We were tidying up the studio today, and after everything was all put back in it's place after a crazy busy few weeks here at GBP, I realized something...

We're closing in on just about 1 full year of having our new studio up and running and we honestly can't remember how we did without it!  Well, actually we can...it was cramped in our tiny house and we couldn't have friends or family over because we had no room for anyone to sit, unless they had camera gear piled on their laps...To have a dinner party, we had to move our 'studio' back into a little room, and pull the couches and chairs out, then return everything back when it was done to set up for the next shoot again....ugh.  So let's just say we're feeling pretty grateful for this awesome space we now have.  (And the fact that our coffee/beer deck is finally cleared of snow, isn't too shabby either!) Like most people, our first studio was just us working with what we had (in our case, our living room), and so it's really satisfying to just sit back and reflect on the fact that after all these years, we now have been able to really invest even further into our business and have this beautiful space to work out of.  

So, in celebration of that, we thought we should share some of our recent studio work with you...

These are some shots from a recent family shoot we did, with an amazingly adorable family.  As you've probably noticed, we really enjoy a nice clean, simple style which doesn't normally involve a lot of props, etc. There's just something about having a stark negative space around the subject, that we really love the style of...it allows you to really just focus in on the people themselves-thier expressions, and emotions, which is our favourite part of the type of work we do.

Hey Good Lookin...Commercial Headshots-GBP Creative Photo and Video

Hey good lookin...need a new headshot to show off that killer professional personality you have?  Because that's exactly what a commercial headshot should be able to do!

We recently got to work with the awesome team from CKRW the Rush as they were looking to update their website and wanted some fresh photos so people can get to know the team behind the shows.

The fun part about this headshot series, is the fact that they didn't need to be too serious, as some of the hosts have a lighter, more playful style, and we wanted to be able to show that.

So although they all have a co-hesive style in terms of the processing techniques we used, as well as the outfits chosen, we tried to still bring out the individual personalities of everyone throughout the process...

For more info on what the team is up to, check out their website at:

www.ckrw.com