Not your average family shoot...

As we've mentioned many times before, one of our favourite things about living here in the Yukon is the diverse people we get to work with. Today's blog features one of our favourtie converted Yukoners, and her family who was up to visit her, who were more than happy to jump in to all that is "Yukon" during their trip...

Here's an example of an outdoor-loving family.  Not only did they hike the Chilkoot together on their trip, but they were also more than happy to jump in some canoes and head out to Chadburn lake during our family shoot with them.  Now to be totally transparent here, they just so happen to come from 'canoe country' Ontario, and one of the daughters jokes that she has a degree in "camping." (It's a degree in Outdoor Rec).  SO, heading out in the canoes wasn't exactly a far stretch for them...But it sure resulted in some great shots.

We always try to get our family shoots to be a bit more interactive.  If you're looking for the sunday best, extremely formal and non-interactive shots...well, we're probably not the photographers for you.  We'd rather get you guys out interacting, having fun and sharing some good embarrassing stories to get some authentic laughs going!

So hope you enjoy the shots...

Maybe our next mission will be to have an 'adventure family' contest and see who can request the most unique family shoot yet...Takers anyone?

First House...

Last month, we got to be a part of a really unique project here in the Yukon that not only was ground breaking, but also directly effects lives right here in the Yukon...

We were able to be a part of the Habitat for Humanity build here in Yukon in partnership with Champagne Aishihik First Nation called the "First House" project.  Not only was it an amazing project to be a part of due to the nature of the organization, helping build affordable and safe housing, but it was also the first house built on First Nations Settlement Land by the organization.  It was an incredible experience to be able to be part of such a historic build, and to be able to work along side so many diverse people from organizations across the country.  First Nations Chiefs, CEO's of major Canadian Corporations, and volunteers from across the Country all donned their hardhats and work gloves and helped raise the walls on the house over the course of the week here just outside of Whitehorse.

As Gary has a background in the trades (he's also a journeyman Electrician), it was a perfect fit as he was able to unleash his nerdy powers in both photography, construction, AND also explore his newest nerd-addiction: video...let's just say he was in heaven....

So although it was a long week, with long hour days, and the need for multi-tasking and flexibility due to a dynamic schedule, it was one of our highlights of this season...

So a big thanks to Habitat for Humanity and Champagne Aishihik First Nation for having us be a part of this project! Because here at GBP when nerdiness gets to team up with a cause we believe in, we know we're moving in the right direction!

For more details on the "First House" project, check out the link to the Habitat for Humanity Canada page.

This post isn't about that guy...

Sometimes when you come across someone with great talent, they can be...well, how can we put this..." challenging"to work with?  Come on, you know what we're talking about...that guy you know, who's really good at that thing but you don't really like to talk to him about it because then you have to deal with him yammering on about it for hours on end? THAT guy....the guy you can barely fit into a room with because his head is too big and there's just not enough space for the both of you.

Well, this post, my friends, is not about that guy. It's actually about the opposite guy.

The shots below are from one of our recent  sessions with local Actor Calvin Laveck, who has been going to school in Toronto, and is now based there to further his work in theatre.  He's the epitome of a super talented, yet humble artist and we're always left wondering "how is that guy so NICE?" every time he leaves the studio...

Over the years, we've come to realize that overall, the artists we've worked with here in the Yukon fit into this second category...even though we're super lucky to have an incredible arts scene, filled with crazy talented people, we find that the ones we've worked with haven't brought any egos along with them...they instead come with open minds, eagerness, and excitement to work together.  They are stoked to help teach us about their industry-to share their stories and experiences, and really help us get a better understanding of what it's like to be an actor, a dancer, a musician, etc...And it's from this understanding that we're better able to help them get images that really convey something authentic and unique to their art form.

You see, the point we are trying to make here, is that one of our favourite things about living here in the Yukon is the people. Whether it's an artist, a family, or a corporate team, the Yukon just seems to bring out the best in people...and we're stoked when we're reminded of that fact by our awesome clients like Calvin.

So well played on being so awesome Calvin-we're stoked to see where you go from here, because we're sure it's gonna be some pretty rad places!

Busy busy busy...

We've had a crazy September here at GBP, filled with all kinds of shoots ranging from commercial coverage, to architecture, to music video stills and families! We thought the summer was busy, but it turns out September decided to give it a run for it's money...

Unfortunately this has meant we haven't had a proper blog post up in a while...So although it's late on a Sunday evening, we wanted to still get a quick post in to get the new week started.

So here's one final shout out to summer, featuring one of our families back before the leaves turned to yellows and reds.  This is another family we got to shoot both maternity and newborn sessions with, and now, 6 months later we got these great summer time shots in too!

Hope you enjoy them...until next time summer...