Green & White magazine: Community
USask reached out to our team to create a set of images to go along with the cover story of their upcoming issue for the alumni magazine. The story features a group of alumni who created business opportunities within the Saskatoon community.
Our task was to photograph them separately in their own environment at their respective businesses but also to capture them all together as one community (Saskatoon and USask) at one local Saskatoon location.
The client had a vision. They wanted an active group shot on the cover with a similar shot for the inside front cover shown from a behind the scenes angle. They wanted to really capture the group visiting—like you’d do when you meet up with an old friend for coffee—rather than just posing together.
To make a photoshoot like this more believable, we feel it is important to make sure the subjects are engaging with real props—food and drink included. In the case with Andy Yuen from Saskatoon’s Odd Couple restaurant, mixed a real drink and with Shaina Lynden, owner of Ryde YXE Cycle Studio, stood at the front desk and talked on the phone with a real gym member.
My favourite image is the inside front cover. We took a step back and used a wider focal length to capture what we call a “dirty frame.” We use that term for images that show the set or some of the equipment. We didn’t want to pretend they were all just hanging around and I just happened to catch them interacting. Instead, showing the dirty frame shows why they were all together while still capturing them in real conversation.
Our client was thrilled with the result. The photographs, especially the cover and inside front cover, portray a deep-rooted community vibe.
