Category: Uncategorized

Treasure hunters #01

Andrew Brudz and his fabulous collection of treasure!

We are starting a series about treasure hunters in the modern world, people who find treasure in plain site and re sell it, The arbitrage of things (Arbitrage) simultaneous purchase and sale of the same or similar asset in different markets in order to profit from tiny differences in the asset’s.

Andrew Brudz:

“A friend came over to my house during the pandemic and asked me if I had started collecting parrots and I was kind of surprised and said no ……. Why do you ask 

Maybe I missed traveling and especially traveling to Mexico. Perhaps I thought I was going to capture all these exotic birds as a way of recapturing the experience of traveling, of being free.  So my best friend Gayna created online vintage shop etsy @ArchipelagoFinds & @Archipelago

I guess I’ve always been a bit of a collector – when I was a kid I obsessively cataloged and numbered my collection of Smurfs.

Fred Whippy
Painting by Fred Whippy

Once I found a painting and absolutely fell in love with it. It was this gorgeous woman with a whale tooth necklace. It looks like she’d been painted by candlelight, it was moody and atmospheric.

Painted by an artist named Fred Whippy who was from Fiji and worked predominantly in the 60s and 70s. He was a bit of a protege as a teenager and was able to travel to America for his first exhibition in 1970s. 

I love this piece so much that I thought I had overpriced it so that nobody would buy it, and I would just get to keep it forever and say, “Well I tried to sell it and nobody wants it.” I also hoped that it would somehow make its way back to Fiji one day.

I actually found many of Fred Whippy’s relatives. They were happy to see it, and said, “Oh yeah, that’s Uncle Fred,” but none of them seem really interested in bringing it back to where it came from. (He passed away a couple of years ago.) 

But one day, I was contacted by a couple who own a hotel in Fiji. They were decorating the space with artwork by Fijian artists, and they really loved this piece. So, I boxed it up and shipped it off with some reluctance and regret. It was a beautiful piece and, you know, the money they paid is obviously long spent. A part of me still wishes I had that painting. 

I bought it for $40.00 and sold it for $400.00. I wish I had never sold it.”

KFC’s, #betterwithkfc troll truck

Hey there fellow people, I’ve got a story that will make you cluck with laughter! Recently, I had the privilege of photographing one of the funniest fast food pranks I’ve ever seen – the KFC prank on McDonald’s with the Chicken Big Mac. And let me tell you, it was a real barn burner.

The prank itself was simple yet genius. KFC parked their food truck right outside a McDonald’s location, and on the side of the truck, they had a gigantic screen displaying an even more gigantic Chicken Big Mac sandwich. It was like a food truck and a billboard had a delicious love child.

In the end, I got some amazing photos and videos of the prank, and KFC’s marketing team was thrilled with the results. And hey, I got to sample a Chicken Big Mac for myself, so it was a win-win situation.

So, if you ever get the chance to photograph a fast food prank, I highly recommend it. Just be prepared for some wacky reactions, lots of laughs, and a serious craving for fried chicken. And if you see a food truck parked outside of McDonald’s with a giant chicken sandwich on the screen, be sure to stop by and say hello – it’ll be an experience you won’t soon forget.

and….here’s my prank to you, this post was brought to by ChatGBT!

Sapling & Flint in Six Nations of the Grand River Territory With Owner’s, Teyotsihstokwáthe Dakota Brant & Yonenyà:kenht Jesse Brant

In November we were super honoured and excited to work with the owners of Sapling & Flint, Teyotsihstokwáthe Dakota Brant & Yonenyà:kenht Jesse Brant. Twins, creators and business owners.

We were commissioned to make an image library for Meta with production by Shutterstock, showing how Sapling & Flint use Instagram e-commerce tools with their nearly twenty thousand followers. 

Despite their rapidly growing virtual presence, Teyotsihstokwáthe Dakota Brant & Yonenyà:kenht Jesse Brant are proud to keep their operation local. Located in Six Nations of the Grand River Territory, Teyotsihstokwáthe Dakota Brant & Yonenyà:kenht Jesse Brant have a studio and store where they create, “conversation pieces that share the story of Turtle Island.” Using gold, authentic wampum & sterling silver, Sapling & Flint creates jewelry that is rooted in powerful stories, meanings and messages across varying collections. 

Our shoot had a small and nimble crew to shoot quickly and cover all the aspects of the business. While our clients joined via Zoom to art direct from three other time zones, we started off in the studio space where shooting Yonenyà:kenht Jesse Brant hand making the jewelry. We then moved locations to the Sapling & Flint store where they have a gallery shop and photo studio. 

Sapling & Flint are fiercely independent, growing globally while remaining equally as frequented in their own community. They design & make jewelry, shoot their own content, make films, run the store, package & ship while also being active community members and all this happens before their children get home after school. Teyotsihstokwáthe Dakota Brant & Yonenyà:kenht Jesse Brant have full creative agency without having to engage in reselling or letting go of their brand. 

We were super grateful to have spent the day with Teyotsihstokwáthe Dakota Brant & Yonenyà:kenht Jesse Brant. Watching their creative process from beginning to end made us all a little envious. Their ability to make amazing sought after jewelry from scratch, operate locally & online all while being mothers was inspiring. 

Thank you Teyotsihstokwáthe Dakota Brant & Yonenyà:kenht Jesse Brant for welcoming us to your community.

To learn more about Sapling & Flint or browse their beautiful jewelry visit them at https://www.saplingandflint.ca/

5 Things the Awesome Kids at Holland Bloorview Taught Us While They Made the New Campaign, Imagine Everybody

We had an ambitious shoot day with a tight budget. 5 hero still shots and 5 animated stories in one day. 

When we were planning and executing our shoot, we committed our production to Universal Design and learned 5 awesome things from the kids @Holland Bloorview; 

1. Everything is always consent based. This includes touching somebody’s wheelchair. It is an extension of their body. 

Ask before you jump in and feel inclined to touch people or their things. The same goes for crew equipment, my camera and talent’s wardrobe. A great way to approach someone on set can start with “ Hey can I ……”. It keeps the vibe respectful, positive and fun!

2. Many photo studios call themselves accessible but aren’t fully….

Toronto hosts over one hundred studios, out of which ONE !!!, met our accessibility parameters. Lots of the others had partly accessible locations although they missed key elements that make them fully accessible. 1/100 is very bad. 

3. Accessible washrooms don’t just need big doors. They require handles, grips, sink accessibility and better motorized doors,  touch sensors.

Accessible washrooms are always a must for our talent and even better for our crew living in a covid world. Doors, sinks and toilets that operate with sensors and no touch benefit our entire team.

4. Cable wells and cable mats are nearly impossible to navigate a wheelchair over. They are not accessible and require us to think outside the box. 

We didn’t want cable wells creating roadblocks. Instead, we ran power cables in the lighting grid.

This meant our talent could move quickly around set and so could our digital station and set makers! This was also great when it came to getting our props and talent to set quickly. 

5. Having a parking loading area away from traffic but close to the studio was essential for our talent to arrive in style and comfort.

This also is great for our grip and lighting truck to unload the equipment quickly and happily!