Client: B3 Communications

The purpose of this shoot was to capture the concept 'My Waikiki is here'. 

It was essential that each shot have a 'here', a focal point where the model/models are engaged in a specific aspect of the real estate, be it the view, services, or features and amenities or the neighborhood. The aim was to evoke more casual moments, while still reflecting the elegance of the Ritz-Carlton brand.

© stu ross

Client: PARC Retirement Living

Pacific Arbour was undergoing a name-change and building a new website so required fresh shots for their image library.

Usually when a client requests the talent to be “mature”, it usually means they want someone who is 60 years old but looks more like 45. For this shoot the opposite was true, the target was 70+ and the older they looked, the better. 

The location was in the most luxurious retirement building I’ve ever seen. Every piece of art throughout was original and was home to 3 Steinway grand pianos. 

© stu ross

Client: Wasserman+Partners

Where is it that people make their mortgage decisions? Not in a branch but at home. The concept for this campaign was ‘a mortgage that puts people’s needs first’ with headings like “The Israel & Dean Mortgage”. No models or actors here, just people who are members of Vancity Credit Union.

The main application for these ads was online banner ads so they needed to read well at a small size and be space efficient. 

© stu ross

Client: Watershed Communications

Hampstead show home by Portrait Homes, Maple Ridge, BC

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Client: Resonance Consultancy

If you look around this new riverside Calgary community, signs of construction are underway and the developer needed to mark this moment with some exciting imagery.

Highlighting the Simmons building, a local landmark, I delivered the concept that great things are starting and the writing is literally on the wall. This idea stemmed on the thought “what if the Simmons building could talk?”

For these images the messages on the wall were actually projected rather than using Photoshop. We used a scissor lift to position a massive ultra-bright cinema projector for the plaza and corner shot. Erected scaffolding over the river bank to get back far enough for the shot of the river steps. We shot into the wee hours with perfect weather conditions. Gorgeous evening. Everything was lit with continuous lights to capture movement.

Ironically, shortly after this campaign ran, Calgary experienced catastrophic flooding to the area from the Bow river.

Each were a composite of 6 or 7 plates not including the towers which were rendered by the architect, Riddell Kurczaba.

© stu ross

Client: Graphic Designers of Canada | BC Chapter

I love little hidden surprises for the viewer. A few strategic phone calls got me access to a nearby rooftop, but I had to shoot quickly to keep the shadows consistent for this composite of 40 some shots. Because this image was for a gathering of designers (Practivism 5: Storytelling for Change), I knew I could play around with things and they would catch the subtleties. The meeting was at Science World, so it seemed obvious to do the shoot there, and the bustle and the light were too awesome to think otherwise.

Download a 5x4 ft PDF of the event poster here. (38mb)

© stu ross

I wanted something epic on this shoot, and the Pa'a Dunes at Makawehi on the South Shore of Kauai with the wide-open Pacific spoke fluently. I was already on the island for another shot, and a pro rider for O’Neill Girls, Kiana Fores, arranged for a shoot. She wanted to showcase her sponsor's merchandise, also I suggested we add wispy, loose fitting clothes to catch the wind. For the second part of the shoot, we went up to Ke’e beach. Tough day.

© stu ross

Client: Resonance Consultancy

The people at Resonance work with all kinds of creative people: designers, architects, urban planners, you name it. Their work is diverse, but always personal and story-based. So we went for a focus on individuality—up-close and honest—but we also wanted lots of space for dynamic pop up bubbles from a twitter feed. 

© stu ross

Client: Wasserman+Partners

We wanted to feature unique and tucked away locations that only Vancouverites would know and recognize, and what says Vancouver-feel-good-summer and local-food pleasure more than wild blackberries? To show a wide variety of people living the life they want—but in a very simple everyday feel—we jammed on metaphors for growth, good health, good relationships, and good food. No models or actors here, just people who are members of Vancity Credit Union.

© stu ross

Campaign headline: You're only a DD if you stop before your first drink.

With sports it’s about working the angles, and the same goes for this shot. The keys, the glass and the sports figures are not in the proportion you see in the final image, which makes composites like this a challenge. A precise and consistent shooting angle for each element has to be properly calculated, or the whole image will feel off. Even the reflections in the glass have to be just so. Because these images were meant to be seen up-close and personal—they were posted at urinals and hand-dryers—they had to be tight and clean, too.

© stu ross

Client: Wasserman+Partners

The barge shot has a certain calm to it, but the actual shoot was far from that. I was on the Iron Workers Memorial Bridge on a super windy evening with huge trucks rattling by. It was low light, so keeping the camera steady was absolutely necessary, but virtually impossible. The Port Authority couldn’t tell me when the barges were coming through, so I had to hang out at centre span until the right one came along, and when it did I had to race to get to the right spot. Somehow, I managed to get the shot with seconds to spare. For the Lions Gate shoot, I went out at the Critical Mass ride, which would make a no cars/just bikes  shot a piece of cake…but of course the light didn’t cooperate. Instead, I used a long exposure that makes the cars just disappear into a blur.

© stu ross

Client: Haymaker Creative

We were in Croatia for iO Adria London. One location had me on top of this wall in the ancient city of Dubrovnik waiting for the right scene below. People walked through hauling bread and other cool stuff, but this solitary woman gave the sense of history we were looking for. I love the last shot here, where the cobblestone streets are polished to a high sheen by the gentle stroll of several dozen generations.

The developer's property was on the island of Sipan, so many of the  shots were from a boat, hence the great vantage points.

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Client: Haymaker Creative

We chartered a small boat at dawn from the port of Hoi An and set out into the South China Sea. All the fishing skiffs surrounded us, and everyone seemed to know each other. We had talent releases translated into Vietnamese ahead of time, and because of the exchange, we were able to give out about a months wages to each subject. 

Another day we ascended the stairway of 156 steps that leads to the summit of Thuy Son, one of the five peaks of the Marble Mountains that overlooks the Raffles property. The streets of the village that surround the peaks are filled with marble and sandstone carvers and sculptors.

© stu ross