We Welcome A Resident Makeup Artist - Camila Notari

September 6, 2018

Camila Notari is our new in house resident makeup artist. Camila will be located in the front of our space in our portrait studio. We are so excited to have this international artist in house who has more than 17 years as a beauty professional. Her education started in her native Brazil and she has never stopped learning and improving her craft. Camila took several courses in schools and workshops with professionals and renowned companies in different countries such as Spain, Colombia, Argentina and Canada.

In Toronto she finished a degree in makeup where she has grown in her experience with all makeup styles, from beauty makeup, theatre, cinema, prosthetic makeup to creature & design. I was graduated in Art & Design Makeup at the Faculty of Makeup CMU. After that, I felt I needed to know more about the arts, so in 2018 I majored in Foundation and Art Design at George Brown College, also in Toronto.

To see her full portfolio visit her site online or click here for a PDF with samples of her work.

IN HER OWN WORDS

My soul is restless, my mind is always full of ideas, and I think the days should be longer so that I could fit all the tasks within 24 hours. I am passionate about my work, by the way, it was the time that I used to define myself with only a professional title; there are several Camilas within myself. I am an educator first, then an artist, makeup artist, mother, woman, passionate about photography, painting, sculpture and I love reading a good book. The smell of the book in my hands enchants me, but the ease of digital reading has conquered me! I love coffee, too; black and without milk!

CAMILA'S SERVICES INCLUDE:

Makeup & Hair Services

Whatever the situation is, makeup and hairstyle make all the difference. I will bring you a natural and flawless look for parties, weddings, or any special event you´re going through. The products in my kit are from the best professional brands, and my materials are disposable and hygienic for keeping your safety above all.

Airbrush Makeup

If you don’t know much about Makeup with Airbrush, it´s a pleasure to tell you this technique is the most suitable for photos. Who does not do selfies nowadays? It´s not only for special events; it´s for everyone that is looking for the best as makeup can bring. The result reached is a natural, waterproof, long lasting, and it is possible to camouflage tattoos and undesirable dark spots and scars. The airbrush makeup is highly used on tv shows, films and weddings.

Boudoir

A boudoir photoshoot is the best gift you can give to yourself or your beloved one. It´s the capture of a precious moment through the beautiful pictures in that unique life stage such as a pre-wedding, pregnancy or just the celebration of femininity and sensuality.

For the boudoir photoshoot, I always make sure face and body are in complete harmony. As an experienced Makeup Artist, I´m able to hide what you may don´t want to show such as scars, stretch marks and also your tattoos if you don´t want to show them for this occasion. I’ll do everything to make you feel confident and get the most enjoyable experience during your shoot!

Headshots

It takes only a few seconds to make a first impression, we all already know that. Your headshot is the responsible for the first contact with people you haven´t met yet. Said that have you just realized about the importance of having a professional makeup and hair for this occasion? Your image will represent who you are, and I can guarantee your hair and makeup will be natural in your photos, showing your best.

Maternity

Nothing can be more powerful to the than that this moment. To have a baby growing in your bump is with no doubts, one of the most incredible experiences in the life. The beauty you have facing right now will become a sweet memory sooner than you think, so why do not register this moment and show to your little one in the future? You will receive a delightful facial massage to prepare your skin to a natural and camera-ready makeup in a perfect match with your hairstyle.

Special Events

If you have a special event such as your graduation, a Prom, a party or even a pre-wedding photoshoot, having your makeup and hair done professionally, will bring you a relief when you I'll be holding and looking to the album in your hands in the future. I´m pretty sure you have been planning the perfect dress and accessories to use for this extraordinary occasion, and the makeup and hairstyle will make the final look stunning and impeccable like the moment to itself is.

Meet Our Resident Artists

October 4, 2017

There is a great lineup of talent that we have at The Production Studio. We love the creativity that comes out of our spaces and not just in the various productions and photographers, models and MUAs that come through our spaces.

Here are all 8 bios of the resident artists who produce great work every day Paul Buceta, Rick Oliver Fitness Photography, Pires Photography, Figura Nua. Steve Roberts, RJA Photography, Billy Vasilios and Rayven Martinez. We have all of these profiles now hanging up in the common area of the studio to showcase who they are, their talent and their work.

If you want to inquire about our residency program, take a look online at www.productionstudio.ca/residency

WHY SHOULD YOU AS A PHOTOGRAPHER HAVE INSURANCE

September 27, 2017

Nobody is perfect, we all make mistakes. As photographers, we are expected to be both an artist and a service to the public. There’s always going to be a chance that your client is going to be so difficult, uncooperative, or possibly vindictive if they feel as though you’re not up to their expectations for whatever reason.

It is for this reason that every professional photographer should have their own liability insurance to protect themselves from being taken advantage of.

How Liability Insurance can Save You

If you’re getting a steady flow of work and you consider yourself to be fairly busy as a photographer, you will eventually encounter a situation where you have to make changes and cannot commit to a scheduled photoshoot. If your client doesn’t take kindly to this suggestion, they may turn on you and decide to sue you for a breach in contract, which they could win if you don’t have anything that states the ability to cancel at any time prior to the appointment.

Insurance can save you from being sued for a client’s negligence, too. Like, if they were to trip into a piece of your equipment and hurt themselves. Liability insurance can also cover you if for whatever reason your camera malfunctions and either ruins or renders the customer’s images unrecoverable.

Every potential scenario where things could go wrong, at no fault of your own, should be accounted for, because there are plenty of people out there who try to take advantage of small businesses and avoid having to share whatever losses incurred due to an accident.

Weighing your Options

While these things do happen, it ought to be noted that an occurrence like this is extremely uncommon, as a general rule you have most likely better chances winning the lottery, however, they do happen and in this manner it is imperative that you are not left exposed after a bad turn of events.

Still not persuaded? The other thing liability insurance can help with is damage to other’s property. This would cover you on the off chance that you harmed another person's property while doing your job. For instance, you could incline toward a divider and push a portion of it over with your weight as you are taking the photo! The fact that the divider was not sufficiently secure is no assurance in the courts. You would be in charge of the repair to it - all things considered, the client would contend that the property was fine before you stepped into it!

A straightforward mishap like this could cost hundreds, maybe thousands - something that could also leave a mark on your career, too. You can do your best to avoid doing business with people who seem unreasonable or suspicious, but there’s no guarantee that you won’t run a streak of bad luck and end-up losing a ton of sleep, money, and possibly business over an honest mistake while trying your best.

Photography Tips on Shooting Drinks w/ Pires Photography

September 20, 2017

If you’ve ever done any product photography or casual foodie snapshots, you might be thinking that photographing beverages is a pretty straight-forward process, but you would be wrong, of course. Those commercials of mouth-watering Sprite, Coors, and so-forth are pretty involved.

Shooting glasses filled with drinks is an even more layered beast. The obvious challenge here is capturing enough light to highlight the condensation, but also keeping the picture balanced and not too overwhelmed with bright lights bouncing all over. Use some of these tips to help you navigate this foreign landscape with your camera and take great shots of your favorite booze and drinks.

Manage Primary Light

In order to get the best illumination of your glass’ contents, you’re going to want to place your primary light source behind your glass and the position of your camera. This keeps the light a bit more manageable and you can better adjust the amount you need in order to bring out the details of the drink and glass.

Create Ambience

Just snapping photos on a colored or textured background isn’t enough to really grab the attention of the viewer, you’re going to want to add a bit of color that can enhance the presence of the drink. This works really well with little flavor suggestions to go with the drink, like a little lemon or lime, so you can add an accent light behind the drink to give it a nice “pop” against the background.

Featuring Ingredients

To borrow off the last tip, a nice way to break up uniformity in a product photo like this is to lay out small samples of the ingredients that are used in the production of the drink. You could add them in later with post-production, but it’s very charming to go through the extra effort of picking a few pieces of barley, cherries, or vanilla beans, for example, to lay beside the cold, tasty glass and evoke those flavors subconsciously in the viewer.

Try out different Containers

Unless you have your own branded glasses that the customer can purchase, it’s a good idea to present your beverage in a container that best compliments the personality of your beverage. You don’t want your drink to be associated with “average” or “boring” cups that you can find in any grandma’s cupboard. Be creative and take a few shots with various containers, you never know how they’ll look.

Get Frosty

You want an insider secrete on how to get the perfect amount of condensation on your glass without having to wait for it to naturally happen? Place your glass into the freeze ten minutes before your shoot, then pour your beverage and watch as the cold exterior collects with little beads of thirst-motivators. Everyone loves an ice cold drink.

Let Loose

Don’t think too hard about your photoshoot. Nerves can ruin a photo more than forgetting to bring a specific light or prop. When you’re in a creative and playful mood, you get results that may surprise yourself, because you’ll be thinking about what a customer would love to see, not what is purely technically sound or advised.

GALLERY OF RECENT WORK FROM PIRES PHOTOGRAPHY

A Closer Look @ Our Spaces

September 14, 2017

The Production Studio is located on the west end of Toronto minutes from Sherway Gardens. Our 8500 sq ft building offers 4 unique studio spaces ranging from 1100 to 3200 sq ft. complete with 2 kitchenettes, washrooms.

All studios come with a raised shooting platform, a Hollywood mirror, makeup station, portable speakers, change tent, clothing rack, 4 c-stands, sand bags and extension cords.

Book online at www.productionstudio.ca/booking or email us with inquires at sales@productionstudio.ca

If you would like to rent out the entire building (studios 1-3 and kitchenette), the day rate is $700 CDN and a discount for multiple days.

Please take a look at our galleries below with floor plans and specs for each space, photos from various angles and daylight availability.

If you are a photographer looking for space, we offer a great residency program. It offers a cheaper rate to use our studios and a consistent location to help you build your brand.

Kitchenette

Studio 1 - 1100 sq ft

Studio 2- 1100 sq ft

Studio 3- 1100 sq ft

Studio 4- 3200 sq ft

We Welcome Resident Artist RJA

September 7, 2017

Feeling like there was more to life than an intensive job and private family life, a chance google search found a workshop at The Production Studios that rekindled my love of photography.

Attending many many many.... many workshops, I was able to understand and breakdown the details needed to elevate myself from amateur hobbyist to a passionate artist that aspires to eventually rise up as a true professional photographer (some day!).

I enjoy many genres within photography and have produced many photos that I am proud of. Initially, head / beauty shots captivated me. Curiosity eventually rolled into boudoir and fine art. Now, I am taking my interests and focusing on Fashion to see what I can produce.

Should anyone wish to collaborate on future projects, please feel free to contact me.

Samples of RJA's Work

We Welcome Resident Artist Stephen Roberts

September 6, 2017

As photographers we live for freezing the moment. My passion in photography is for defrosting the moment. Rather than everything being completely sharp and frozen in time. I love to show movement and dreaminess and a sense of the surreal.

Being a dance dad, this is one of the reasons I was attracted to this art form, as well as long exposure landscapes and seascapes. I love to drag the shutter. I could be quite happy shooting for the rest of my life with shutter speeds of a second or longer…..

I am a huge lover of portrait photography. Sitting down with my subject conversing and trying to create a real emotional connection and pose from my sitter is an art form which is a wonderful challenge that I enjoy immensely. A great emotional portrait is not made in camera but on either side of it. One of my favourite portrait photographers Yousuf Karsh says it best: “When one sees the residuum of greatness before ones camera one must recognize it in a flash. There is a brief moment when all that there is in a man’s mind and soul and spirit may be reflected through his eyes, his hands, his attitude. This is the moment to record. This is the elusive moment of truth.

I am a resident photographer at The Production Studio in Mississauga. I am currently booked for my dance series and portraits shoots till October 2017. But I am always looking for models and professional dancers for my creative projects. If you are interested in collaborating with me I would love to hear from you….Visit my site www.floto.ca and book your shoot today.

Samples of Stephen's Work

We Welcome Rayven Martinez - Resident Artist

February 1, 2017

Filmmaker + Fashion/Fine Art Photographer and Cinematographer in Toronto, Canada.
(Fashion, Editorial and Commercial)

Rayven’s love for imagery began with a Canon A1 in High School shooting for Yearbook Yearly and School Sport Meets. After Graduating High School he had upgraded to a Canon 10's 35mm SLR with Prime Lenses started shooting Events. He had taken Art Workshops in his early 20's from Painting to Sculptor. Since those fledgling days, Rayven expanded his horizons to the Film Industry and found himself Directing, Managing and Producing Videos, while maintaining his passion for Photography. He has work for Grants such as BravoFact, MuchFact, OAC (Ontario Art Coucil), The Canada Council for the Arts, Tele Film and OMDC (Ontario Media Developement Corporation).Some of his clients include: Sony, Visa, Samsung, Rogers and TIFF.

On the side, this shutterbug can be found watching films from his Criterion Collection, Animations by Studio Ghibli and Tim Burton. He loves Horror movies from Director Dario Argento's Films, to Old Classics to New. A Collector of Vintage Films and Cameras, his most current set includes a Horseman VCC Converter Tilt-Shift and Polaroid SLR 680.

Rayven knows how to stay on the Budget learning from working as Producer and Production Manager on Commercials and Music Videos. He also knows how to work on a pressure specially important Deadlines!

Written by Roseanne Dela Rosa Ricasio (Editor Wedding Bell)

For inquiries please contact: Rayven@rayvenphotography.com
Website: www.Rayvenphotography.com (Under Construction)
Porfolio: www.500px.com/Rayven

SAMPLE WORK

We Welcome Billy Vasilios - Residency Artist

January 31, 2017

I was 8 years old when my mother first let me take a photo with her bulky Polaroid instant camera.

Even though it was 1979, I can still remember the feeling, the weight, and the joy of being able to capture real, genuine moments.

It wasn’t long after that my appreciation turned into a passion, and that passion led me to a career.

Having studied Journalism at Humber College in the 90s, I decided to merge my two interests of photography and journalism, and dive into the diverse and wonderful world of photo-journalism.

It’s been many years since those initial days, but that same journalistic tendency to genuinely appreciate that around me and to find ways of capturing it organically has stuck with me ever since.

Flash forward to today, and I now find myself shooting everything from beauty to commercial and everything in between.

The one thing that hasn’t changed is my love for capturing things as they actually happen.
It’s why I pride myself so much on not just taking great pictures, but on creating great environments to have a really memorable shoot.

Because when clients look back at my pictures, I don’t just want them to see joy, I want them to remember it.

To check out more of my work head to: www.vasilocity.com

Biography written by Ashley J. Hassard

Importance of Studio Space for Photographers

December 30, 2016

The studio is a professional photographer’s second home away from home. It could even be located in your actual home, but it should be a setting that you can feel secure and free of distractions. Designing your studio space is also important, it should look and feel separate from a bedroom, for example. It needs to be built around productivity, so we’re here to give you some tips on what is best to focus on for building the perfect photography studio.

Residency Program

The Residency Program at The Production Studio is a great way to start utilising a space where you have little overhead and can run your photography business out of. Meeting clients in a professional space can help you land the deal and give you a home base to operate out of. For more information on the residency program click here. Remember, with 4 spaces to shoot out of there will always be one available and we can make any custom package to suit your needs.

Maximizing Space

When it comes to renting out a studio space for photography, space is everything. Don’t underestimate the importance of space to work, move, and think in. This is about comfort and the ability to grow as a photographer. Space also allows for more creative freedom, capturing your subjects without relying on zoom too heavily is key. Headspace is also important, try to get a place for your studio that has elevated ceilings to really take control of your lighting.

Convenience and Class

Where your studio is located is almost as important as the studio itself. If you only focus on the cost of rent, you might end up with a studio that is either located in a spot that is not in close proximity with your own house or is located in a drab industrial district, which could turn off clients. Appearances can and do matter, so consider this when planning your studio location.

Controlling your Craft

Sunlight is certainly ideal, however controllable light is more vital. So, in the event that you have access to common light that you can't control, it’s better to pick a spot you'll need to falsely light that you can control.

Expansive, upscale, open gathering places are super helpful for a photography studio. A flatscreen TV makes a pleasant expansion to the waiting room – demonstrating your portfolio pictures or motivating art videos.

The camera room ought to be separate from the business room. If not totally discrete, the two ought to be isolated by separation or themes. The main thing you ought to do in the camera room is shoot. Everything else needs to happen elsewhere.

A changing area is another great idea. The changing area ought to offer good security and ideally, be no less than a porta-john to consider simple outfit swapping. The changing area ought to offer a little seat and table and in addition places to hang garments. A lavatory can serve as a changing area insofar as it's sufficient for allowing a person to stretch their arms and legs around.

Intangibles

A reliable power grid. You ought to expect that a normal studio will utilize significantly more power than the customary office workspace. By and large the camera room ought to be white, dark, dim or nonpartisan in shading. This keeps away from inadvertent reflections. And, finally, keep your studio stocked with lots of comforting items for all the senses: healthy snacks, beverages/alcohol, mints, and music playlists for different personalities.

Studio 4 - A Great Creative Space

December 21, 2016

Our 4th studio space has opened and has lends itself to many creative and commercial projects. Spanning 3500 sq ft, this space has already been used for photography and video projects.

Combined with our existing 3 spaces, The Production Studio now offers over 8500 sq ft of shooting space, two load in bays, two kitchenettes and 4 bathrooms. Contact us at sales@productionstudio.ca for a custom quote or for more information.

81 Entertainment | Anastasia A's cover of Justin Bieber - I'll Show You

December 20, 2016

We have developed a great relationship with 81 Entertainment who have now used our various spaces for a few projects.

81 Entertainment is Toronto’s premier video production service company specializing in commercial production and branded content. Trusted by small businesses and large international brands alike, 81 Entertainment’s range of expertise ensures each client receives the best in concept design and execution.

Earlier in the year, 81 Entertainment used our spaces to create a fantastic video fro Anastasia A' cover of Justin Bieber's I'll Show You.

Take a look below and watch both the BTS video and music video. We are proud and honoured to have had this shot in our spaces.

Official behind the scenes video for Anastasia A's cover of Justin Bieber - I'll Show You (Cover) OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO: http://smarturl.it/ILLSHOWYOUCOVER Hi guys, I recently had my first baby in Aug and it was the most incredible feeling in the world.Taking a year off from my music career was very refreshing and much needed , but I am happy to finally share with you a project that I was inspired to make.

Anastasia A's cover of Justin Bieber - I'll Show You (Cover) 15/12/2016 Watch: BEHIND THE SCENES here--- http://smarturl.it/illshowyoubts Download on iTunes: http://smarturl.it/Illshowyousingle Stream on Spotify : https://play.spotify.com/album/33xLJIqHHPqmJBZpyhh0gf Hey guys, I recently had my first baby in Aug and it was the most incredible feeling in the world.Taking a year off from my music career was very refreshing and much needed , but I am happy to finally share with you a project that I was inspired to make.

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