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 

Beach Family Photo Session in Whitby

Beach Family Photo Session in Whitby

It’s always a win to hit golden hour for family photos on the beach in Whitby. Parents often come to me after not having done family photos for years because the kids – teens and young adults – were just not into it. 

As the acceptance letters for University come in and they move into their new residences we love to help capture the family as it is before that big milestone. This session was mainly for the three girls, but as you will see Mom and Cubbie also got into it and as you can see Cubbie stole the show

 

Each family is different but I do warn people that I am a hug, hand holding, large laughter and emotion based photographer. I want to see your hands, your dogs, the relationship you have with your siblings.

These three sisters are close and you can feel their energy in the session. The emotions as your sister and mom tease you. The smiles as Cubbie runs me over for his treat. It is a joy to capture this family of which two are runners who we know through Durham Dragons.

Connect with us for your family session this summer, we would love to capture the experience for your and your family.

Kirsten McGoey | Visual Storyteller

Theatre Photography : Mamma Mia

Theatre Photography : Mamma Mia

Join us as we show you how a professional theatre production can be captured in Dress Rehearsals to support your production later in the week. Henry Street High School has a long standing tradition of great theatre and they delivered a great production of Mamma Mia! this year. Here we go again!

I am looking for the big emotional and physical moments in a play. This is infinitely made harder as I have rarely seen the play and sometimes notes about what to look for are not given. I watch to see where I can see the shots I want to make and often take a series of twenty to just get the right smile, eyes open and touch of nose or sassy look. Practice for them also applies to theatre photography, the more you do the more you know what to look for.

What I loved about the play this year was this black light sequence. It was so seamlessly blended into the story and the choreography was just amazing. It allows more of the ensemble to show off the depth talent at Henry. It was a great storytelling technique for the dream sequence and I was delighted I got some good frames as it’s the definition of “low light”.

When photographing theatre you will be faced with light changes, sometimes from moment to moment, sometimes one side is a different scene than the other. It’s always worth mentioning it to the tech team, sometimes the lights are like in Mamma Mia full of colour and capturing that is on point.

Every now and then a part is so perfect you could not imagine anyone else playing it. Meet Stella who plays Rosie in the production and nailed this part. Her physical comedy is spot on and I laughed, clapped and cheered her on in her pursuit of Bill. Bravo! A dash of her work is below:

I mean with ABBA as the soundtrack and a strong plot there is just not much you can say about this play that would be negative. The performances were amazing, the leads for performance 1 and 2 changed for 3 and 4 so we have tried to show you both casts as much as we could.

Stage Director : Skylar is rarely in front of the camera or on the stage but without her and the team there would be no performance. She guides the performance (her 6th with Henry) with skill and confidence – always smiling and ready to make it happen. We will miss you as you are moving on to post secondary.

Kirsten McGoey | Visual Storyteller

The Visual Story of MP Ryan Turnbull

The Visual Story of MP Ryan Turnbull

Creating effective photographic storytelling is unique to each person and the service they provide. Ryan Turnbull is a local MP in Whitby, Ontario and reached out to document his working day for his constiuent website. This site serves as a hub of information and a connection point for Whitby constituents to reach out to Ryan and his staff about key issues concerning the Whitby riding. In addition, there are links to many key services provided by the Federal Goverment – such as passports, old age security, the CRA and many more.

(above) Ryan connecting with staff who showed him how they work in the centre and tested out some machines together.

(below) Ryan shown in the Whitby Public Library – a stunning building designed in 2005 by Shore Tilbe Irwin and Partners (now Perkins+Will).

“My name is Ryan Turnbull and I am your MP for the riding of Whitby in Ontario, Canada: a fast-growing and diverse community just east of Toronto.(-) I am passionate about social issues as well as building a sustainable, eco-responsible economy.” (quote from website)

Telling the story of Ryan Turnbull, MP involved visiting his real constituents all over Whitby. Showing real people engaging with Ryan in community hubs, on campus at Durham College and businesses throughout Whitby allowed for great storytelling alongside connecting in real time with constituents, students, faculty and business owners. Ryan has been the Whitby MP since 2019.

Below: Ryan is shown at the Whitby Seniors Centre in the cafeteria engaged with constituents who know him well and had a hearty discussion on local issues.

 

Above (1): Ryan making espresso at Bistro ’67. (2) At the Maker’s Hub with Cheryl experiencing the confetti throws from her live shows during COVID. (3) Learning some paddy making skills in the food school at Durham College. (4) Testing the machines with Elliot at the Abilities Centre.

Above: Ryan is shown in a Durham College’s Mechanical Technician – Elevating Devices as a professor runs through servicing an escalator alongside students.

Above: Ryan is shown in a Durham College’s farm fresh and accessible year-round container which grows food; think shipping container with a hydroponic equipment that create rows of “bunk beds” for growing food even on the coldest Canadian winter days.

To book us to tell your story: https://trinitydesign.ca/connect-2/

Kirsten McGoey | Visual Storyteller

The Business Photography of the Community Concert Band of Whitby

The Business Photography of the Community Concert Band of Whitby

The successful business photography we created for The Community Concert Band of Whitby was created to bring to life a story of people of all ages, skin tones and different instruments. They come together to create stories for their own audiences with the blend of flutes, saxes, trumpets, clarinets and oboes, percussion and drums, french horns, the basoon and the tuba.

“The Community Concert Band of Whitby (CCBW) is a community-oriented organization with a mission to create a thriving social and musical space for amateur musicians to share their musical interests and skills with the public and with one another.” 

To create the images we took an evening to capture one of the bands while they practiced in their normal music room location. As the band warmed up and played I captured the natural chemistry between members, focused on the instruments each band members played and had the privilege to meet each section, their members and their instruments. I have a complicated relationship with my 3 years as a clarinet player before art captured my soul and my storytelling moved in a vastly different direction.

“Embrace the experience, and let the music unfold in harmony alongside your love for music.”

With a full website refresh on the horizon we broke down each group and photographed them together in the music room so you can see the people behind the music. Simple portraits that showcase the teams of instruments that make the whole “band” is now for viewing on their website.

Preparing for each concert is a team effort. Conductor Lisa works with the sections to weave together music magic. I have to admit as I was creating images I was often taken by the music – which has always been transformative for me – singing to a song from Les Miserable or other well known melodies.

For conductor Lisa we paired with our Business Package a headshot session at our studio. We chose the teal blue paper to compliment the overall blue in the band’s logo and created a strong modern portrait without and (shown) with the baton. In studio we can up the quality of the image and control light to ensure a strong, professional portrait reflective of the leader of the band and the strong community Lisa conducts. In the image below I paired her headshot with an image from the rehearsal shoot to give a strong sense of her purpose in this social media share.

Behind the Baton

Conductor, Lisa Puccia, BME hails from the “East Coast. (-) Lisa’s musical journey began with a childhood steeped in piano, clarinet, and saxophone studies. From lively community theatre performances to various band ensembles, her passion for music became evident early on. Lisa pursued her musical education at the University of Prince Edward Island, earning a degree in the Bachelor of Music Program.

Afterward, Lisa ventured to the close-knit community of Piccadilly, NL, where she shared her love for music and English as an educator. Since 2005, she has been a dedicated teacher within the Durham Catholic District School Board, leaving an indelible mark on her students through the transformative power of music.” 

To book us to tell your story: https://trinitydesign.ca/connect-2/

To learn more about the band: https://whitbyband.com/

Kirsten McGoey | Visual Storyteller