May 5th, 2023 . A personal branding shoot with a nutritionist.

Shooting with nutritionist Rosina Vecchio, was a fun experience. The goal was to capture images that not only showcased her personality and expertise but to promote her approach to food and nutrition. There was a bit of work on her part leading up to our photoshoot with food preparation but also to bring a range of fruits, veggies, ingredients and props. Here are some of thing I go over with clients when planning a personal branding photoshoot.

When working with professionals and branding, we always have at least a couple of consultation calls or meetings to talk about the vision, the mood, the location, lighting, props, makeup, wardrobe amongst other details.

For this particular project Rosina had borrowed a friends kitchen to shoot in which was nice and big, given us space to move around and the ability to create slightly different backgrounds for a variety of shots.

A few things to consider when you plan a photoshoot in a house are:

• how much ambient light there is.

• what are the colors you will be dealing with? Is it a neutral tones which is ideal in most circumstances or; are the walls dark or brightly colored which can affect the lighting and cast weird colors on someone’s skin. If there is a lot of color but nice ones, maybe you just need to coordinate your props and wardrobe accordingly.

• is the house really cluttered because that can quickly become a nightmare to deal with. If so, can we move stuff around if we have to?

• are the cabinets highly reflective? that can create problems because you can start seeing your own reflection in the images.

Here are some key tips to organizing a personal branding photoshoot:

Create your moodboard of ideas, colors, props, looks and share it with your photographer.

It’s important that you everything is discussed in detail prior to your shoot, so everyone is one the same page and understands the vision and what kind of images we are trying to create.

Make sure you have your shot list:

Create a list of shots you need and extra in case you have time. Make sure someone is checking things off the list as you go along. You don’t want to walk away from you shoot forgetting to shoot a shot that was on the list.

Decide what the style and mood with lighting will be:

Lighting is one of the most important elements of any photoshoot. For a nutritionist's photoshoot, it's important to create a bright and airy atmosphere that promotes healthy living. Use soft, diffused lighting to create a warm and inviting feel. You can also experiment with natural light by shooting near a window or outside in the fresh air.

Choose your prop wisely:

Use props that speak to your audience and matches your brand. Choose colors that will compliment and not clash with the surrounding colors include your outfits and color pallette on your website. You could bring fresh fruits and vegetables, a blender, or a glass of water, a lemon squeezer, cutting board, knife and other items that promote cooking healthy and nourishing foods and put in contexts. This will not only add interest to your photos but also emphasize the nutritionist's expertise and message.

Experiment with poses and expressions

Try to create realistic situations like making a salad, drizzling the dressing, squeezing a lemon and make sure. A nutritionist should appear knowledgeable, confident, and approachable in their photos. Try different poses that showcase your personality and expertise. Help the photographer be able to capture expressions such as a smile or a laugh that promote positive energy and health. This will make you potential clients identity with you and picture themselves being happy prepping and cooking health foods in their own kitchen. Remember you are selling you as a brand, not necessarily your service. Your client wants to work with you to inspire them to want to be better at feeding themselves and their family. That’s why it’s so important to show your personality in your brand. Be authentics!

You don’t have be in every shot:

Think of your social media needs and other advertising photographic content visual to post. You might not need to have your face in every shot. Set up some platters, bowls and props and let the photographer move in closer to get some details shots. Thinks quality and variety!

May 04, 2023 . Playing with shadows and reflections in photography.

As a photographer you can’t seem to help seeing things that maybe most people are not really paying attention to. It’s not that they are not paying attention necessarily but they just don’t see the things you see because it’s part of your job. I mean after all, that’s why people pay photographers. They pay for their ey and skill of seeing and creating images by using light, lines, shadows, reflections and other components all with the perfect composition.

Shadows.

Creating shadows in a studio space is like trying to mimic sunlight with your studio lights. As kids we all look and play with shadows on the pavement on a bright sunny day and it’s sort of the same in studio. To create shadows, you need a hard light. Soft light with a big light modifier helps to minimize shadows, so you definitely want to keep the light source a light harder. Just like the sun, when the sky is overcast, shadows start to disappear and if you shoot in midday sun on a very sunny day, the shadows are the most sharp.

The light source set at an angle to the wall, to cast a strong shadow. You can experiment with the distance and the angle of the light of your subject to achieve the desired effect.

Reflections.

You can find reflections everywhere but you have to look for them as they might not always be obvious. Look down and around to find them. They can add depth and a different perspective to your images. Experiment with angles and distance just like shadows to make the perfect composition. Nature provides lots of opportunities with reflections specially around any body of water. You can even find reflections in urban areas with building, windows or any shiny surface. Play around with perspectives and see what you can create.

Feb.16th, 2023 Athlete portraits collection

I’ve always had a passion and fondness for sports which have a little fear factor and a big exhilaration component. Action sports have played a big part of my life. I left home at 18, leaving behind the chilling winters of the East Coast of Canada in search of new adventures and in lure of skiing the big mountains on the West Coast. So I took a drive across Canada in mid January with two friends with only one vision in mind … to do some big mountain skiing! I was lucky to spend three full seasons in Whistler and probably skied up to 120 days a year. I mean, we skied our asses off:) getting enough sleep was no my motivation at the time. I worked in the evenings so I could ski all day and no matter what time I went to bed, I was up to hit the mountain for some fresh tracks on any given powder day. I coached the kids ski racing on Blackcomb on the weekends to get my pass and I was sorted. When you’re young and noone’s depending on you, all you need is a pass and a good pair of skis, some friends ready to charge the mountain with you and your having the time of your life. I didn’t think twice about any of the dangers of what and where I was skiing. I mean, how bad can it hurt if there’s so much snow.

After my stint in Whistler, my heart was stolen by another sport which soon was all consuming and all I wanted to do. The wind and waves were calling me. I started traveling to the Oregon to the Columbia River Gorge every time I could. After soon releasing this passion was leaving me, I packed up my things, signed up for college in Portland and moved myself to the charming town of Hood River, one the world’s well known windsurfing hubs. That is where I found my tribe as they say. Windsurfing is one of these sports where if you want to do it and do it well, it pretty much as to be your life. To go windsurfing once in a while is not going to get you anywhere, at least not where I wanted to be which was in the waves of Hawaii. I definitely didn’t need anyone pushing me to go sailing aka windsurfing anytime the wind was up. I was known for hitting the water at first light on the River when the wind was blowing and spent most windy days putting in marathon sessions on the water. Five, six hours was nothing. We were a crew of friends with a common passion that was unstoppable.

After going to school and sailing on the River for a couple of years, many of my peers and I decided to hit the big stage and make the move to the North Shore of Maui. Being from Monreal and growing up skiing, the powerful waves of Hawaii were foreign to me. Although I did spend the first year of my life in Hawaii, I didn’t have the luxury of growing up near the ocean and the waves. I distinctly remember standing at Hookipa, the most famous windsurfing beach in the world, on a big day wondering how a girl from Montreal was ever going to be good enough to ride out there. Well, as with anything practice makes perfect and working on your skills, it didn’t take long before I braved the ocean and it’s powerful surf to eventually spending my days sailing at Hookipa.

Playing in the surf is fun but it can also be stressful when it gets big or the wind turns offshore and you’re at the mercy of nature. Things can go sideways quickly if you don’t know what you’re doing or head out and don’t have the skills to handle the conditions. When you get nailed by a big set, you better not let anxiety sink into your brain. You need to stay calm, hold your breath and just go with the flow. All you can do is come up for a breath and duck underneath the next waves and wait for a lull in between sets to collect your gear or swim for it:) unless you have the unfortunate experience of getting slammed onto the rocks and hope that not ALL your equipment is broken or shredded to pieces and that you don’t end up with reef and rocks cuts everyone. If it sounds stressful, that because it was.

When they say have respect for the ocean, that’s because you must know that if you want to play there, you need to be aware of the possible dangers and consequences associated with it power and unpredictability.

Here are a few images I shot as part of a personal project I started and have not finished as our lives got interrupted by a little thing called Covid. Hoping to continue this project this year and will keep adding to my collection.

Summer breeze, clear blue water and a great appreciation for our natural world!

“ The Sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever.”

Jacques Cousteau

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A day on the ocean can create memories to last a lifetime. On Monday, my brother, my son Finn and two of his friends had a little fun cruising Howe Sounds and around some of the nearing islands.

We left Squamish mid morning in windy, cold, cloudy conditions which was not necessarily reassuring weather to head out on the ocean for a day of fun in the sun with three kiddos. I mean, the boat ride alone is a novelty but I had prepared for a hot, sunny British Columbia summer day with watermelon, cold drink and paddle boards for some summer water time on our beautiful Pacific ocean. Clouds or no clouds the ride on the ocean surrounded by mountains, cliffs and the insanely stunning color of the water is a treat never the less.

Luckily as we approached warmer waters, we found a amazing sheltered bay for some swimming and paddle boarding fun. Just as we arrived the clouds graciously dissipated just enough to let the warming rays of the sun to keeping us just warm enough to enjoy the fresh water of the Pacific Northwest.

The kids had an amazing time, dropping in and out of the water, from Finn’s confident front flips, to diving contests, to paddle boarding. Even with the loud chaos of three kids splashing and thrashing around in and out of the boat, I managed to take in the breathtaking beauty of our environment, the ocean, the mountain, the trees and all the wonders of nature around me. Olivia said it well as we were driving back to Squamish at the end of a very waterlogged day filled with smiles and laughter. She looked at me and expressed how beautiful the scenery was and how the color of the water remind her of the Caribbean.

On our ride back I also started to notice all the clearcutting of the forest which you don't notice when you’re driving on the Sea to Sky and have your eyes on the road. As a started counting the spots I could see, I wondered how much more clear cutting of our forests that I couldn’t see with miles of mountains hidden behind the ones lining Howe Sound. Mesmerized by the color of the water changing from one shade of green to the next as we started heading back into colder and even colder water towards the entrance of the Squamish river, my mind wondered more questioning if one day if future generations will be able to share a similar experience or if this place would still look the same once climate change has reach catastrophic levels that our natural world would be changed forever. I consider myself a generally optimistic person but I don’t feel so when I read about the health of our oceans, forests and the never ending, mind boggling environmental disasters that we humans have created and still are creating for our kids and our kid’s kids, if they will even consider having offsprings of their own one day.

THE FAMOUS CANADIAN TUXEDO STARTED IN VANCOUVER

There's something about the Canadian Tuxedo!  I always wondered where the name came from, why it's a thing and not reserved to just cowboys.  So I did a little web search and found out that back in 1951, Bing Crosby was apparently almost denied entry into the Vancouver Hotel because he was dressed from head to toe in denim.  It was Levi Strauss who got wind of the story and actually designed a denim tuxedo jacket for Crosby.  Since then the Canadians have adopted the outfit and named it the “Canadian Tuxedo”.

I have to say there's a feeling that goes along with wearing denim with denim,  like you're some kind wonderful.  I mean how many models, Rockstars, celebrities and famous western characters have we seen wearing the jean on jean outfit.  The Gap, H&M, Calvin Klein and most other major jean brands have used the look over and over again in ad campaigns.  I guess you don't need to live on a farm or ride a bull by the horns to pull it off!