Women of Wisdom

After we finished one of our biggest commercial shoots yet to date last month, we took a full week off, away from the studio, and holed up in a cabin out in Tagish. We felt like we needed some time to relax, to unplug (sometimes it’s so therapeutic to not have the internet), and to reflect on where we’ve gotten to over the past few years.

One of the things we quickly realized, was how awesome it is that so far, this year especially, a lot of the projects we are being asked to work on are really meaningful, not only to our clients but to us personally. I think in any job you can find yourself at times, falling into a daily routine, plugging away, but the projects we’ve done so far this year are anything but routine. 

One of those meaningful projects, was working with the Skookum Jim Friendship Centre on a portrait series that was displayed at an event called “Survival Through Our Own Lens” during Victims Week last month.  The goal of the event was to challenge stigmas that society often creates around victims of violence, and along with the portraits, the women of the group created art and music to showcase their stories.

We wanted the portraits to showcase these women’s strength, their beauty and their individuality, and seeing them up on the wall in print was a pretty powerful experience.

So thank you to each and everyone of you for being a part of this project and sharing your stories. It was an honour to work with you!

Portraits of Yukon's Most Awesome...

We were SO stoked when the most recent issue of Yukon North of Ordinary Magazine came out because we've been waiting to share some of our favourite work we've done yet this year which is featured in our photo essay!

Also, we were so pumped how this cover worked out...Raven looks so rad!

So, we often talk about how our favourite part of our job is the people we get to meet along the way, and the stories we hear, so it only  made sense when we thought up the idea to do a specific portrait series which highlights some of the people in our community who we think bring next level awesomeness to what they do...Each person in this series has an incredible story and makes our community such a unique and supportive place to live.  The magazine article has write ups on each person so be sure to check out the full series! (I know they have copies at Mac's Fireweed) 

In the meantime, we wanted to share some of the images, and send shout outs to everyone who was involved.  You guys are literally why we do what we do, and it was a total honour to have each of you in our studio. 

Featured: 

Wolf Lady and Raven of The Oh-So-Amazing Dakka Khwaan Dancers

Darryl Tait-Adrenaline machine, and best Instagrammer out there

Kate White-Baker, Biker, and Advocate

Leonard Gordon Sr- Crossing Guard, Elder, Safety Machine

Myrna Kingscote- Costume Maker, Small business owner, and Rendezvous Royalty

Stephanie Dixon- Paralympian, Advocate, and Beam of Sunshine

Val Pike- Health Professional, Volunteer Extraordinaire, Women's health advocate

Garbage Truck Santa (Wayne Henderson)- Spreader of joy, Christmas Spirit, and Yukon charm

 

 





Portrait Photography

Of all the different types of shoots we do, portraiture is definitely one of our absolute favourites.

We got into this business because we are both "people" people. We love getting to work with the variety of individuals we do, whether it's someone with a modelling/acting background who is comfortable in front of the camera, or someone who hates the thought of it, and shows up at our studio full of nerves...we love being able to take the time to work with each person, ensuring they are comfortable enough to relax and have their true expressions come through.

To be a portrait photographer, you have to be able to first and foremost be able to engage with your subject, and create a friendly, chill atmosphere. All the gear in the world, doesn't mean anything if your model isn't able to relax and have fun with it.

Even if you need us to play your secret favourite music that you don't normally admit to (let's all just agree to stop lying to ourselves and admit that we love Taylor Swift already) we are game!

 





Product Photography, Yukon Styles!

Guys, we've discovered your next pair of boots...

We worked with the fine folks at Wayfare Woollens for both a model shoot, and a product shoot for their line of boots last month, and Brianne may or may not have left with a pair on her feet.

Our models were absolute troopers-willing to stand outside on a very cold day with us, but at least we knew their feet were warm! We did a number of different scenes throughout the day, and then finished off back at our studio to do the product shots.

If you want to check out some of their items (and we highly recommend them), go to: http://www.wayfarewoollens.com

 


That's a wrap! The Best of GBP in 2014!

Well 2014 has officially come to an end, so we thought it was only appropriate to jump on the "Year in Review" bandwagon, and share some of our favourite images and videos from the past 12 months!

It's always sweet looking back, as it was a crazy busy and diverse year for us work-wise, and it seems like forever ago that some of these projects even happened. 

We hope everyone had a safe and awesome new years celebration last night-whether that was hitting the dance floor hard, or binge watching Netflix and going to bed by 9:00...2015 has some exciting projects on the go already for us and we can't wait to have you along for the ride!

Photos

Video




'Love Actually' gets me every time....

Full disclosure: We watched Love Actually last night (for like the 20th time) and I cried a total of 3 times. (this is Bri talking...thought I should clarify that) 

Why am I confessing this you ask? Well friends, it's because i'm a sucker for feel-good stories, and i'm not afraid to admit it. And because anyone who knows me, knows that I am physically incapable of holding back my tears. (I've also cried while watching Sons of Anarchy this week, which for anyone who hasn't had the pleasure of watching the biker gang drama series, it's a very different storyline than our beloved Love Actually)....But what can I say? I'm an emotional creature.

And what the hell does this have to do with our photography you ask? Well, because i'm a sucker for feel-good stories, it's no surprise that one of my favourite types of shoots we get to do are engagements.

Hence we wanted to share one of our most recent sessions we did with Liz and Mike! Although they aren't in a biker gang, they do love motorcycles...

Congrats guys!

 

Green Needle Records

We've been working with a lot of local businesses over the past few months, getting shots of both the employees at work, and the spaces themselves.

Green Needle Records was one of our favourite spots, because a) Jim Holland, the owner is the best, and b) his new space is unreal!

We actually shot our very first video at Green Needle Records when it was first being built! This little ditty of Kyle Cashen, recorded and mixed by Jordy Walker! It's amazing to go into the space now and see how far it's come! (Also, hilarious to look back on our very first video, including our old logo)
 

Needless to say, Green Needle is an incredible space for both local musicians, and artists from outside to come and do a yukon retreat to write and record albums.

So artists, if you're looking for a space, check out http://greenneedlerecords.com

 



It's Business Time!

It's no secret that we love where we live, and that a lot of that has to do with the awesome community we are surrounded by here. One of those communities we are really proud to be a part of ourselves, is the local business community. We have an incredible group of talented, hardworking entrepreneurs in the Yukon, so when we were asked to specifically do some work with some of the local Whitehorse women in business for the most recent issue of Yukon North of Ordinary Magazine, we were stoked! 

Whether you're looking for new, eco-friendly clothes, want to get lost in a sea of unique home decor and gift ideas, want to finally learn to love yoga (Jess, I am forever grateful for you teaching me how awesome it can be) or you want to sample some delicious food and drinks in style, you'll never be bored if you visit these yukon businesses.  

SO, if you haven't already, check them out! 

Jess Read-Breath of Life

Christine and Katja-The Cork N' Bull

Ciara and Lorraine Stick-Climate Clothing

Jen Williams-The Collective good 


Baby Bennett

Every now and then we get requests to do some very special shoots, and this was one of our most important to date.

Whitney contacted us to see if we were available to do a maternity shoot with her and her daughter in the last few weeks of her pregnancy. They had recently lost her husband, Tanner, in a tragic event, and she really wanted to be sure to capture some memorable images before the baby arrived as a Tribute to Tanner, of not only her belly, but of them interacting with some of his most prized items.

We were so honoured to have been asked to do this shoot, and were so ecstatic to receive an email yesterday from Whitney introducing us to her beautiful new baby Bennett, named after Bennett Lake, the closest to where Tanner got his first and last Dall Ram.  

Whitney, we wish you and your two beautiful girls all the best, and we are truly honoured to have been asked to do this shoot for you.  

 


Baby Bennett...the cutest.


The 'Always a good choice' Cake Smash

So...there's this trend in family photography over the past few years called the cake smash...

What you do, is you take a one-year old, or really, whatever age child you've got, and you put a beautiful, colourful cake in front of them. And then you wait...

You see, most kids at this age, probably haven't exactly delved into the world of delicious, icing covered deserts yet. So when they finally get the courage to stick their tiny little finger into the sweet, sweet, icing, and taste a bite, you can literally see in their eyes, a flash of pure joy. For this is the moment, my friends, when they realize they've tasted the best.thing.ever. AND their parents are letting them do it!!!

Now, you simply sit back, and capture the next 5-10 minutes of cake smooshing, icing devouring good times, and get some pretty sweet memories to embarrass them with at their high school graduation ceremony.

So, really it's a win win...And now I want some cake...