Kevin Patterson for Quill & Quire

ONE OF MY FAVOURITE SHOOTS WILL ALWAYS BE THIS FEATURE IN QUILL & QUIRE

Kevin Patterson was in Toronto touring his book, News From the Red Desert, and we had a very small window of opportunity to shoot with him before he left the city to continue on. We booked a studio in the east end (it was just before the bridge, but anything close to the DVP bridge is just automatically considered the ‘east end’ in our books) and I remember it being hot- that sticky, heavy, summer heat we have. For someone from Manitoba and just passing through the city, it was a great first impression to give haha.

Kevin was really warm and open to being photographed. Our stylist, Melody Du Ly pulled some great and casual pieces for him to wear to look effortlessly chic and our wonderful art director, Erin McPhee, gave us constructive and receptive feedback as we were shooting (which was so great to do in real time as opposed to after the fact), and overall- honestly- it was so much fun! If there’s one specific shoot that we want to reference, mimic, and build upon for the rest of our careers this would be it.

View more photos down below

Hardcore Renos

IF YOU’VE RENNOVATED YOUR HOUSE AND LOOKED FOR #RENOINSPO, OR EVEN HAVE LOOKED UP A CONTRACTOR I’M SURE YOU’VE HEARD OF HARDCORE RENOS…

Manny asked us to shoot a few promo photos of him at his 127 Project house and if you’ve taken a peek at his instagram you know how unique his photo style is. We wanted to honour his playful humour with fun and lighthearted posing, but also stay true to our style of shooting with bright and crisp photography (with the occasional dramatic flare). We shot in the house he was working on when it was only skin and bones and the basement was still being underpinned- it’s crazy to see these beginning stages and then when this house beings to actually look like a house!

For most of the shots we set up an umbrella with a low powered flash for an extra kick of light- a lot of the rooms were bright but overall flat because of the winter light outside and most of the windows being covered. This was a better option for us instead of using a reflector and bouncing light because it allowed us to be able to shoot wide and showcase all of the construction around us.

It was cold both inside and outside but it was great to be able to shoot in a real life construction setting for these promos!

Take a peek at some of the photos down below

Ontario Principals Council 2018

THE PRINCIPAL FOR THIS YEARS ONTARIO PRINCIPAL COUNCIL IS LARRY O’MALLEY…

He is kind, soft spoken, patient, and incredibly easy to talk to. We’re always thrilled when we get to shoot people for more than 10-15 minutes, honestly it’s so amazing! It’s great to be able to talk to people, learn about them and what they love about their job, and to even be able to take a walk with them and do an outfit change. It doesn’t happen often so when it does, you bet we like to take advantage and shoot lots!

We went to OPC’s HQ right by the Eaton Centre and shot in their office space; they had the most amazing panoramic window that let in the brightest but softest light into the room, even on a cloudy day, so we shot this session all in natural light.

Larry’s office was a touch darker (I mean, no panoramic window can do that to you) so we decided to play it up and shoot some moodier photos of Larry “working”.

In our final set up was a bit more casual, shooting right at City Hall in a polo and slacks… again trying to get in as much greenery as possible before the winter greys hit!

See more photos from our shoot below!

Native Women's Resource Centre of Toronto 2018

THERE’S NOTHING MORE THAT WE LOVE THAN WORKING WITH A HARDWORKING, DEDICATED, AND INCREDIBLE GROUP OF WOMEN

And that’s what we get every time we’re with the Native Women’s Resource Centre of Toronto! The NWRCT provides a safe and welcoming environment for all Aboriginal women and their children in the GTA and they support them through housing, family, advocacy, employment, education, and youth programs. Ultimately they build self-sufficiency and develop a collective capacity to make positive change though individual support, group programming, and cultural initiatives.

For this years annual report we shot a portrait session with success story, Natasha (shown here first), the NWRCT’s new executive director, Pamela Hart, and all of the wonderful teams who make things possible. In an environment where there’s always something happening it isn’t always easy to ask people to stop what their doing and come outside to shoot, but everyone was so accommodating and for that we’re very grateful!

When it’s warm out we always like to try and spend as much time as possible shooting outside, especially since our winters are so long and drab- we try and get in as much greenery and sunlight while we can!

Ok so back to this years success story, Natasha… she’s originally from Alberta but came to Toronto in 1992 after running away from a difficult childhood. In 2014 she reached out to the NWRCT to ask for help dealing with her anger and other traumas, she says, “I decided to come to Native Women’s and that is the best thing I could do because I have learned about creating healthy boundaries, about my self-worth and that I am capable of doing other things that made me grow.” Today Natasha is a volunteer at the centre, leading different programs, and through this she has gained the work experience to become an entrepreneur, running her own moving company. She is also a proud mom of 2, who continues to grow in her own culture and traditions.

You can see the 2017-2018 NWRCT Annual Report here, and more photos + outtakes from our shoot down below