8 Kay Drage McMaster Invitational Cross Country 2024

8 Kay Drage McMaster Invitational Cross Country 2024

OPEN FOR ORDERS

This past weekend we attended the 8 Kay Drage McMaster Mauraders Invitational Cross Country Meet which is an annual event.

Kay Drage Park |

200 Macklin St N,
Hamilton
L8S 3R5

Races: OPEN 6KM, Mens 8KM, Womens 8KM

  • Queen’s Gaels
  • Guelph Gryphons
  • Western Mustangs
  • McMaster Marauders
  • Windsor Lancers
  • Waterloo Warriors
  • Toronto Varsity Blues
  • Laurentian University
  • Laurier Golden Hawks
  • Brock Badgers
  • York Lions
  • Nipissing Lakers
  • TMU Bold
  •  Durham Dragons Athletics
  • Newmarket Huskies
  • Edge Sport Track Club
  • South Simcoe Dufferin Track and Field Club
  • Dundas Valley Track Club
  • Toronto West Athletics
  • Boardwalk RC
  • Blue Devils Athletics
  • Track North Athletics
Getting Down to “Business” Photography

Getting Down to “Business” Photography

Business Photography: Where do you start?

The art of business photography is work with a client to create a series of images that will represent their personal brand or business brand.

Quality over Quantity

This is a quality over quantity proposition by where the quality matters in each image much more in the long run. A client once said to me I hired you for this event because last year I received 1000 photos of which I only felt 50 worked, when I hire you I know if you give me 250 I will be able to use them all. 

What do we explore before we even take a photo? 

Just like a traditional headshot for business packages we explore the following:

  • what is your immediate budget?
  • what is the long term plan for images of your brand?
  • how the images will be used?
  • what location works best for your brand?
  • will the images be cut out and used on different sorts of media?
  • wardrobe discussions to align the clothing with your brand and ensure it looks amazing on camera

Why we recommend booking out the day.

To create images that tell your story it is never just one photo. It’s very normal for a client to be a little nervous and need a simple thing – time. It is key we work poses, outfits and use the time to get comfortable.

We have packages that start at 20 images through to 50 images. Anything more results in filler images* that will not be used. We want to showcase you, your staff, your office, your services and the vital storylines that make your business unique.

* Exception would be product photography but in those cases we do not cover those in business packages but instead in commercial photography quotes for each individual company.

Success Stories of Business Packages in Action

Below we are showing some business packages in action that are supporting local businesses in Durham Region today:

Dentists-Birch Dental

The dental team at Birch Dental wanted images to launch their new business and they had a wonderful, modern new office that was bathed in natural light. We prepared for the images we wanted, needed and the nice to haves. In the end the final results align with their modern brand and showcase these two entreprenuers for potential clients and existing ones.

The owner of Parents Therapeutic Massage wanted to showcase her treatment room and her brand. We brought in models to shoot treatments in the room you would be in and showcased Melissa the owner at work. A blend of the warmth and skills she provides to keep parents going with her treatments is in the images.

As our MP for Whitby Ryan Turnbull wanted to showcase the partnerships he has with various people and organizations across Whitby. His website shows him in action to meet with constituents and also included some headshots. Images are bright and colourful to match the enthusiasm he brings to the table as a member of parliament.

How do I choose which package works best?

Choosing a package for your business photography should align with your budget for the year. We never want to sell you more images than you need, again quality is our first goal and aligning with your growth strategy is a close second.

Want to learn more?

Send us a connect form and we will call to walk you through our process, your business and make recommendations.

Kirsten McGoey | Trinity Design | Visual Storyteller

A Guide to Understanding Photography Copyright

A Guide to Understanding Photography Copyright

The idea of who owns the copyright for photography is perhaps the most important part of running a successful photography business. Without it the landscape to earn a living wage is diminished so if you are just starting out or perhaps need a refresher we are here to help. If you are a new or existing client we would love you to read along.

A partnership with your photographer is a wonderful thing and we know it’s important to sometimes explain how are services are set up and our fees calculated. This allows for that photographer to stay in business as your photographer for many, many years to come.

What is Copyright in Canada?

“For all artistic works, the author of the work is the first owner of its copyright. The author may then assign the copyright to another person. Determining who is the “author” of a photograph will depend on when the photo was taken since the process, as outlined in the Copyright Act, was amended by the passing of the Copyright Modernization Act in 2012.” (CIPPIC, https://www.cippic.ca/articles/copyright-and-privacy-in-photography)

So we need to look at work created before and after 2012 when the Copyright Modernization Act came into place.

Before 2012 – “photograph authorship fell under a special regime in the Copyright Act. When a photo was taken, the copyright, by default, belonged to the person who owned the film negative, or digital camera at the time the photograph was taken. This means that the photographer was not necessarily the author of the photograph.” (CIPPIC) 

Thankfully this has changed because this would be for clients and photographers alike hard to keep track of. With the rise of digital cameras and phones the law was updated in 2012 under the Copyright Modernization Act.

After 2012 – “As of November 2012, the author of a photograph is the person who takes the photo. This brings photo authorship in line with the rules governing other “Artistic Works” such as paintings, drawings and sculptures.” (CIPPIC)

 

1 - Revenue Streams graphic.

AppRevenue streams that come from being able to sell licenses to use photography is a revenue stream for photographers.

Just like an author sells books in a quantity, a photographer – when appropriate – sell multiple licenses to create revenue from content they have created. Clients may ask for a time period where the content is exclusive or to buy copyright, but this then would be sold at a much higher cost as revenue streams then are lost to them. (Note: Resale is more on the commercial side, not so much for retail).

1 - Revenue Streams graphic.

By selling a license to content the photographer remains in control of the use of the work they create. This ensures that the work is not used by the organization without the photographer’s input. For example, I recently had to ask images I made for a client to not be used to advertise images another photographer was taking for them. The images were not representing to their clientele what they would receive and were not created for that use. The exchange was cordial as likely they had no idea about the copyright on the images they used.

1 - Revenue Streams graphic.

When the budgets to create content are constantly lowering and the fees to run a business increase copyright ensures the right to earn a living wage. In our industry operational costs versus income determine our fee structure but sadly many photographers do not understand the cost of doing business.

When we do as a  photographer we ensure a strong business that can serve you and your organization for years to come with reliable services and new skills. After almost 12 years in business I know it has made my business viable.

(There are two main areas of photography that photographers like myself work in.

The first is retail photography which is defined as B2C or business (that’s me) to consumer (that’s you hiring me for personal photography). In B2C I provide services such as family photography, graduation photos and so on (it would also include weddings).

On the other side I also provide commercial photography – defined at B2B or business (that’s me) to your business (that’s any business you run or work on behalf of). In B2B I cover events, create content for magazines, shoot headshots for employees and create content for ad campaigns.

In both cases I release content with a license that defines how it can be used.

For retail this typically is for personal use and doesn’t get too picky, for example, if you want to add it to a family album. But you cannot on the flip side get married and then provide the images to vendors as the license doesn’t allow for sharing beyond your own personal use. It also might ask you not to edit with filters and the like so as not to represent our work in a way that it wasn’t given to you. As mentioned before we do not typically resell on this side of the services we offer, using it only to ensure it represents us and is not used for commercial purposes.

For commercial the points of use are often negotiated – depending on the use, duration and budget – this can look different from client to client. A client might ask for exclusive use for a time period or in some rare cases to buy the content outright. The latter is demonstratively more expensive and is rarely in line with the budget so licensing is standard in the industry.

Building a relationship with your photographer through licensing their work is a great asset to your business.

We already spoke in an earlier article to the pitfalls of using stock images and know using fresh content is a stronger option for a successful brand.

It also means you have a reliable, local provider who understands your business and will be in business for many years to come.

Want to work with us – connect with us via the website form: Connect

Kirsten McGoey | Visual Storyteller

What to Expect: Holiday White Box Experience

What to Expect: Holiday White Box Experience

So you booked your Holiday White Box Experience 2024 and you are wondering how to prepare this is the article for you!

Get ready for FUN with your humans.

The White Box is fun, we have done over 100 sessions and by far it is the favourite session of most of our family clientele. They are a chance to get a reluctant partner or child excited because they are quick, allow for creativity and are full of laughter. Yes, you actually sit inside a 4x4x4 box.

 

What to wear and what not to wear.

The White Box is “white” so it is what we call an alternative universe to regular family photos. The white means leave your dark and black clothing at home and embrace colour. A lot of families like to do christmas pjs – we only ask not to all match, because you all get mixed up. Instead pick coordinating outfits, so we know who is who by clothing as well as the “story” in each box.

These images show you how they all look the same until you focus on the face.   

upside down child in a box in christmas jammies
White-Box-Large-Collage

Many of our studio items are shown in this version from faux snow balls, head pieces like antlers and so many Santa hats, too many to mention!

How to plan your boxes.

We encourage you to bring items from your own Christmas celebrations to use in the box. While we do have a HUGE choice of items here for you from books, signs and other holiday items – your own adds that personalized storytelling.

See images for a sample of items we have in the studio for holiday sessions, the collection has grown so you are welcome to have use of anything we have in the studio.

 

upside down child in a box in christmas jammies
upside down child in a box in christmas jammies

We did this amazing card for the ladies of Elm Law group – each session includes a 6 image collage 5×7 .jpg to create Christmas cards (actual cards are not included).

During the session.

Here are some more handy tips:

+ Arrive 5 minutes ahead, no sooner please as we have back to back sessions all morning/early afternoon.

+ A session is 15 minutes with 5 minutes buffer between sessions.

+ Come dressed – there is not room for changing when we do this many experiences in a row – there is however a bathroom and in studio mirror.

+ Work with us to plan the 6 images for your card and then we also shoot as many other options for larger items which you can order at your in person review.

+ We cannot go past your 15 minutes, if one of your humans is not cooperating we can sort out another option at a later date. 

+ If you are a glasses wearer put in contacts or remove them, our light set up will show light reflections and impact the image. If you are okay with that then we will do our best to reduce the impact glare.

+ Let us get your littles to look at us, I will have an assistant on that day and we know how to get a child’s attention.

+ Worried about your weight? We have poses that work well for all body types and sizes. 

+ We have fit four grown men in the Box at one time, it is strong and can hold a lot more than you think. It is also reinforced with two by fours and raised off the ground – which all our knees will be thankful for.

Shown above is a styrene mounted print on a wood block (blocks are no longer sold) – but we have lots of great products for you to choose from to gift to family this holiday season.

Reveal and ordering session.

 We host all sessions in the studio for an in person reveal to accomplish a few things:

+ We review your images in proof form and make your collage for your card – 6 images in total. This is included in your session – a 5×7 .jpg (no physical cards are included).

+ Then we determine if there are any other products you wish to order from prints backed with styrene, to mounts and a few specific items that work well with this type of session. 

Note – ordering additional products is not mandatory. We do need to order them before mid November in order to get them by the holidays as our provider gets very busy.

Have to book yet?

 We would love to have you at the studio – click here to book:

Join us for the return of a day of limited edition Holiday White Box experiences.
+ Shot in our home studio in an actual box.
+ 15 minute time slots.
+ Up to 6 persons (due to time constraints).*
+ 1 collage included – 6 images in a 5×7 card format
+ In studio reveal to build card images AND order additional items such as larger collages, mounts and more.
* If you have a larger group we can book a solo session for you.

Kirsten McGoey | Visual Storyteller

Food Photography in Durham Region : Whitby Digital Food Guide 2024 Refresh

Food Photography in Durham Region : Whitby Digital Food Guide 2024 Refresh

Amazing food (in part through our photography) in the Durham Region is a story we have been telling locals and visitors to Whitby about for many years. For 2024 we have continued this alongside our client partners at the Town of Whitby Tourism team with ten new pages and a refreshed look to the entire guide.

The guide is an award winning piece that was awarded the EDAC’s  the top Marketing Canada Award for a Single Publication – 5 or more pages from the Economic Developers Association of Canada in 2023. The design by Amanda Jones and the entire team is alive with the amazing food scene options we have to offer in Whitby. 

Please note all content is made for the Town of Whitby tourism and they hold exclusive rights to this content for 6 months from launch. Afterwhich all content can be purchased for use by the respective businesses showcased.

As you might imagine a refresh means content from the 2022 and 2023 issues remain and we have added new content each year. I am only going to showcase the pages with our images from the 2024 refresh but invite you to spend time with the full guide which we will cite at the end of the blog post.

Page 5: We took only the images from Namak Handi.

We had the pleasure of working with the following amazing local businesses in town – listed in the order in the guide :

Balti Indian

https://www.instagram.com/baltiindian/

Namak Handi

https://www.instagram.com/namak.handi/

 The Greek Tycoon

https://www.instagram.com/thegreektycoon/

Hot Rocks Creative Diner

https://www.instagram.com/hotrockswhitby/

5 Paddles Brewing Company

https://www.instagram.com/5paddlesbrewing/

Antonio’s Italian Deli & Grocery

https://www.instagram.com/antoniositaliandeli/

Tina’s Portuguese Cuisine

https://www.instagram.com/caldensebakery/

Please note all content is made for the Town of Whitby tourism and they hold exclusive rights to this content for 6 months from launch. Afterwhich all content can be purchased for use by the respective businesses showcased.

To view the content on the Town of Whitby Tourism Website visit here: 

https://view.publitas.com/the-corporation-of-the-town-of/whitby-food-guide-2024/page/1

To see our PDF version for archiving:

Whitby Digital Food Guide 2024 (compressed for archiving at high res)

Kirsten McGoey | Visual Storyteller 

The 10th Annual Rotary Club of Whitby Food Truck Frenzy

The 10th Annual Rotary Club of Whitby Food Truck Frenzy

As a member of the Rotary Club of Whitby part of my volunteer work is doing the local event photography for the Food Truck Frenzy event. Over the course of two days I cover the event and now that I have done a few I can focus on moments and less on the trucks which makes this even more fun.

This year our marketplace included a vintage market, our kids zone had a new John Deer Blow up, the game zone was a huge hit, the Helen’s came out in droves to dance (think Three’s Company) and as per usual we had the Whitby Fire Department on site giving tours of their trucks. 

Is bigger better? With 30 food trucks, a children’s area and a marketplace I think we got the size and the offerings just right. Sure the event raises money for work we do all across the region and the around the world; but it also needs to be small enough for little feet to navigate.

Events are a chance to bring out the zoom lens, wait for smiles, capture the spread of owl wings and so much more. You need patience in this line of work and with so many great people, trucks and volunteers one cannot help but have a good time.

Want to be a part of the event next year? Click here: https://rotaryfoodtruckfrenzy.com/

Click to access the login or register cheese