You would think that we would be sick of this cupcake fad already. The trend started a few years ago when boutique bakeries in Manhattan and LA started selling (and viciously competing) gourmet cupcakes. The gals from Sex & the City took several bites – the rest is history. The trend took a while to hit Toronto, but it did and had similar effects. Lately though it seems that maybe we got sick of these sugary treats? Or did we? Over 350 strong turned out yesterday to prove that cupcakes do make the world go round. Jump for pics, and….Video!…Read the rest of this entry »
One of the really cool things about being on a social video network like Vimeo, means that not only will you stumble upon some really amazing vids, but also creative collaborations such as the 5×5 vignette project. The concept is to closely stitch 5 short clips to create a visual video haiku of sorts. What a brilliant concept!.
I was watching the raps play on Friday, and tested out the new cam quite a bit. Here’s a vignette from some of the clips.
November it seems, is always a very busy month for me. For a number of reasons. November is the true beginning of fall, so the city sees a wide variety of indoor events taking place. So this means a lot of running around, photographing and writing….Read the rest of this entry »
Lately, been finding that I’m spending a lot of time trying to shoot food again. But due to space limitations, I’m having a bit of difficulty with the setup. Maybe I should invest in one of these?
Pic is of some of the delicious pastries and sorbets from Xococava, Chris McDonald’s place. The marshmallows and guava sorbet is out of this world.
Halloween can easily be my favourite ‘event’ of the year in the city. Why? Because it’s easily the most social, colourful, scary, and engaging event. A photographer’s dream, a street photographer’s dream even. For one night, you see a dramatic shift, almost everyone dresses up, roaming the streets all night with plenty of parties to crash. Everyone loves to have their pictures taken!…Read the rest of this entry »
Due to the enormous popularity of these two articles on Spotlight, we’ve decided to extend the series of articles to 5 parts. It’s just because the content is popular, but also because the guide is not finished. There’s still well over a dozen places to cover!.
Now contrary to what you may think, compiling an article like this is a lot of work. It takes a toll on the mind, and of course, the body.
Find cupcakeries
Drive there
Buy cupcakes
Talk to owners, get a feel for the place, the approach, the art (this is what I do best, and this is why I think we are the best)
Shoot the cupcakes (I play the role of photographer, stylist, lighting techinician, all without giving it a studio feel. these cupcakes need to look good, but lets not go overboard)
Eat the cupcakes (i hurt)
Eat again, think, write
Eat, one more time…with someone…get a second opinion….
Now research, what has someone else said about said cupcakes.
A lot of people say I work backwards, in the fact that I always read what people have said, after I’ve tried the food. I do this to avoid being influenced, and I admit, sometimes it’s impossible to not be influenced.
As I write this, I’m putting the finishing touches on Part 3. It goes up later this week.
As much as I agree with some of the negative publicity that China has been getting this year, I’m totally romanced by the visuals that came out of the opening ceremony. Okay, I haven’t seen the entire ceremony yet, but I’ve been gawking at various online posts such as this.
There were a few days in both January and February that tested my health and appetite. Most of the tests came from all the Winterlicious experiences. A dozen sittings of fusion-this-and-that in under 2 weeks can’t be healthy for anyone. Then there were the group dinners, and cooking lessons. Food, food and more food. Well there were also lots of photos. You could never get sick of those, regardless of how many plates are placed in front of you. As a result of this gastronomic overdose, I’ve noticed that my cooking patterns have changed recently. The dishes that come out of my kitchen are simple, very rustic and require very little exertion. Here’s a new favourite. A simple but very tasty Spaghetti adorned with roasted cherry tomatoes. Here comes a sea of red photos.Read the rest of this entry »
It’s all worth it in the end when you walk away from the desk having learnt something you didn’t know before. A chance to better yourself — adapt yourself to the ever changing intricacies of the world. This is why I love my Spotlight project.
Not a single day goes by where I don’t learn something new in Marketing, Promotions, Editing, Photography, Technology, Culture, Toronto, Advertising, Public Relations, Typography, Desktop Publishing. As I type this, I’ve had very little sleep from a night that was spent putting together the final touches on a Christmas project for the site. It looks great and I can’t wait to unveil it tomorrow. I’ll post a link here when it’s done.
