Ralph Nigro for Ontario Principals Council

One of our favourite shoots of the year is always with the Ontario Principals Council. It is always a joy working with the same team over the years, and in this case we always have a new face to photograph. The acting President of this year is Ralph Nigro, who we photographed at OPC housing HQ in downtown Toronto. Principals come from all around the province and with OPC’s office based right beside the Eaton Centre they have a condo unit for those who spend their term working in the city.

It can be a bit difficult working in the same space year after year and finding something new to do. Our last few sessions have been on the same rooftop but I think we have lucked out with having such an amazing view of the city from that high up that using the same backdrop over and over still looks as beautiful as the first time. Ralph was warm and welcoming, and very generous with his time. It’s no secret that photographers will often say “ok just 1 more thing” and then think of one more thing to do, and one more thing, and one more thing, and Ralph was incredibly patient with this. We had a beautiful and bright morning on our shoot day which ordinarily would be great but in this case was just a biiiit too bright for anyone to open their eyes all the way so we used a scrim to diffuse as necessary.

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Junior Cadougan for Marquette University

This was, hands down, one of our favourite shoots of 2023! Junior Cadougan, is a former professional basketball player, and currently runs Cadougan Elite. This past summerJunior drove his team down to his alma mater, Marquette University in Milwaukee— “If you are looking for someone to believe in, believe in Junior Cadougan, who drove all night to show a group of ninth graders what is possible beyond what they can imagine.”

While there the team got a few phone snaps but didn’t have a chance to take better photos, which is where we came in. Julie, from 508 Creative, reached out to connect us with Junior and assigned us the task of photographing the team back in Toronto. They were looking for photos of the team, of Junior, and of the kids playing and goofing around, ‘kids being kids’. We met up with them at a practice one night at a gym for rent where music was blasting, everyone was sweaty, and in the neighbouring court a volleyball game was happening. The energy was immediately palpable. Kids are always fun to shoot and often letting them do their own thing is where the magic really happens, like during their formal group photo when we prompted ‘ok now stay in the same position, but interact with each other’ and they immediately turned things up 110%.

The action shots of everyone playing was where we felt most apprehensive of this shoot; we’re not sports photographers by any means and this felt very out of our wheelhouse, but turned out to be our absolute favourite part of the night! We set up a big light for the group shot but knew it wouldn’t be realistic to use (or to even plant in 1 optimal location) while everyone was moving around, so we opted for on camera flash. Direct flash isn’t something we always use, but something about the high energy, grit, and passion oozing out of everyone made it feel appropriate. Knowing that we weren’t going to get the kinds of photos that would best encapsulate the team from the sidelines something in my mind said, get in the way, so that’s exactly what we did. Right in the middle of the action, constantly getting someone falling on us, and occasionally a basketball right to the lens (that’s what insurance is for right lol?), but it was so worth it!

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Branding Session with Rebecca Hay Designs

we love lifestyle photos and we love repeat clients!

Learning about a brand / company for 1 shoot is an easy task but learning about a brand, the people behind it, and their ethos after multiple shoots is a different task, and one we really love. The more we get to know Rebecca and her team the better idea we get about who she is as a mompreneur, what her company is all about, and the types of imagery that best speak to both her, her brand, and her audience. Every time we shoot it feels like things get easier and our photos get better, and this session (like our others) is no exception!

We met up at one of her recent projects in Oakville where we focused more on ‘working’ photos than usual. For Rebecca this means planning in her notebook, keeping up on social media, staging the house, and having her own time at home reading, going for a run, and doing mom things like cleaning up. All the things, and photos, that really speak to her and her company.

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