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We spill all of our magic beans (aka strategies) for working and living creatively here in, The Gooseberry Review, our monthly letter series.

TORONTO BRANDING PHOTOGRAPHER: A FRESH FLORAL INSPIRED REBRAND FOR SPRING

Bright natural colours, a love of nature and an affinity for flowers — this personal branding shoot had all of our favourite elements! It’s amazing how shooting in nature can soothe the soul. Stress evaporates, a calmness settles over the shoot and all you can see is the beauty that Mother Nature has so kindly provided as a backdrop. Here’s more from this shoot if you’re interested. (more…)

TORONTO BRANDING PHOTOGRAPHER: RAVISHING RED BRANDING SHOOT WITH ERICA FOX

Make your brand and your business your own. This is the number one thing I tell EVERY entrepreneur who I work with. There is no point mimicing others in your field. Be brave and add a healthy dollop of imagination to your brand so that it stands out. This is what I love to do and what Gooseberry is all about. If nobody in your field is doing it, that’s your sign to do it! The always lovely Erica Fox ran with this belief 100% in her vibrant, editorial and fashion-forward branding photoshoot centered around the theme of self-love, self-appreciation and self-confidence.

On set, a gorgeous Valentino gown in ravishing red (which I’m now personally completely obsessed with, by the way), an infectious laughter, shadow play and a Vogue-inspired aesthetic. Here are the results if you’re interested…
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TORONTO BRANDING PHOTOGRAPHER: TASTE 2 EDITORIAL FASHION SERIES, “SUNDAE FUN DAY!”

You know what always feels great? Dreaming up a really imaginative photography concept and then making it happen! That’s exactly what Gooseberry Studios got up to a few weeks ago with some talented creatives for a brand new Fashion Editorial Series called TASTE which will be on-going this year. We cooked up a big idea, even bigger hair and a fun vintage-inspired vibe topped off with decadent desserts! Here’s the full editorial if you’re interested: (more…)

TORONTO FASHION PHOTOGRAPHER: SANTANA CANADA WINTER BOOT LOOKBOOK

It’s not everyday you have to shoot around every kind of weather imaginable, but that is exactly how creating the Santana Canada Boots Winter Lookbook shoot unfolded. We arrived at our location (three and a half hours out of the city) to a downpour of rain, which then turned into sleet, then into freezing rain, then a touch of hail and finally into a full on blizzard. The snow in these final images is real — can you believe it? Frozen fingers, lots of laughter and keeping toasty in our luxury winter footwear made for an unforgettable winter fashion photo shoot! It was like frolicking around inside a snow globe! Here is part of the final collection if you’d like to see:
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TORONTO FASHION PHOTOGRAPHER: TASTE 1 EDITORIAL FASHION SERIES | “BEAUTY AND THE BRUNCH!”

One of Gooseberry’s 2018 goals is to shoot more personal photography projects, which is why we’re delighted to introduce the TASTE Fashion Editorial Series — an on-going Toronto fashion photography project that combines imaginative creative looks with popular Toronto restaurants to celebrate the idea of indulging in life’s little luxuries. What I’ve always adored about fashion photography is the promise of playing make believe. For a brief moment you can completely escape into a story, another world, a deliciously dramatic plot. Our amazing team will be working on a fresh TASTE Fashion Editorial installment every month this year to bring together a collection of creatively challenging pieces designed to inspire and entertain.

The first edition of this series is called “Beauty and the Brunch,” a tongue and cheek narrative about a (fictional) woman who adores brunching on her own terms, complete with faux-fur, bold eyeshadow and sassy glam glam glam. Here’s the full shoot if you’re interested:
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TORONTO FASHION PHOTOGRAPHER: A LITTLE BIT OF MYSTERY NEVER HURT ANYONE

Fashion photography is true escapism, especially when you work with somebody who is eager and open to direction so we can transform just another streetstyle shoot into something memorably editorial. Fashion photography, much like fashion itself, should be compelling. It should be original. It should be different and drenched with attitude.

These are the things Gooseberry accomplished during this spring Toronto fashion photoshoot punctuated by tulle and buttery Italian leather pumps — and it’s going down in studio history as one of our favourites to date! How exactly did we pull it off? Ah, well, a little mystery never hurt anyone. See the full shoot after the jump! (more…)

TORONTO BRAND MANAGER: 12 MUST-DO ITEMS TO MAKE YOUR BUSINESS STRONGER THAN EVER IN THE NEW YEAR

Ah, the end of the year – it’s a magical time! Not only do we get swept away by the excitement of the holiday season, but our creative brains also start thinking ahead to all of the wonderful things we hope to accomplish in the new year. (Hi, my name is Laura, and I’m a goal setter – you?)

In order to give your business the best start in the New Year, there are a number of tasks I always recommend tackling either before you sign off for eggnog and sugar cookies or first thing when you get back. This practical to-do list will help you kick off 2018 stress-free so that you can channel your refreshed energies into new exciting projects. (more…)

TORONTO FASHION PHOTOGRAPHER: COUPLE’S PORTRAITS IN AN ICECREAM SHOP

Why do we only get our photos taken with our significant other when we get engaged or married? What about capturing all of those wonderful everyday moments that make up our actual lives with another person? I always imagine couples looking back on portraits of themselves together in their youth when they’re retired — imagine that magical feeling that you’d get! So when the lovely Jem Castor asked if her fella could tag along on a fashion shoot, I was more than happy to run with the concept! I took them to the most darling cosy icecream parlour in downtown Toronto. They split a milkshake, sipped rich espressos and cuddled up together for a truly dreamy couple’s portrait session. Take a peek here!
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TORONTO FOOD PHOTOGRAPHER: INTERVIEW WITH TRACY HOULE ABOUT FOOD, LIFE AND BUSINESS

This summer I had the tremendous pleasure of meeting a warm and bubbly Toronto nutritionist by the name of Tracy Houle. I spent a wonderful full season working closely with her to build her brand and launch her business. It was a really inspiring project filled with lots of laughter, shooting mouth-watering food (even healthy cookies that were to die for — seriously, check out her newsletter) and learning about wellness matters along the way!

While working on the behind-the-scenes brand building items and assisting with the business development, I learned so much from Tracy about food and health related to food. I just had to interview her so you guys could also get to know this amazing human and get acquainted with her fantastic food philosophy that doesn’t sacrifice taste! So without further adieu, here she is! Take it away Tracy! (more…)

TORONTO WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER: A MODERN WEDDING BURSTING WITH VINTAGE STYLE

Last weekend I captured my last wedding of the 2017 season and it was a gorgeous one! Despite the weather forecast threatening torrential downpours all day, we ducked between the rain drops to capture some stunning moments of this wonderful celebration. We traveled between The Thompson Hotel and the Guild Inn to capture honest, organic portraits and lots of laughter and love as well! Here’s a sneak peek from the day, if you’re interested. (more…)

CREATIVE TODDLER’S ROOM: A TINY 244 SQ.FT NURSERY WITH BIG STYLE

Most people would see a 244 sq. ft space and think, “Closet!” But not the fine team at Colleen Broadhurst Interiors. They took one look and the space and decided it would make a darling toddler room with plenty of space for big style! Well, needless to say, the results took our breath away!

Featured in this darling genius space is our Prickle Your Fancy 03 print in 20×30 format. There are only 20 of this beauty available (well, now 19) and we couldn’t be more delighted to see him snoozing in this charming room. For the complete room details, keep reading! (more…)

GENDER NEUTRAL NURSERY DESIGN: AN ELEGANT NURSERY FIT FOR A ROYAL BABY


My heart still skips a beat whenever I see one of my beloved Gooseberry Prints hanging in a little one’s nursery or playroom — especially when it is a large format limited edition print. I love the idea that a darling baby will be growing up with something completely unique hanging on their wall, a piece of art that belongs to them and maybe even one day will be passed down through their family. This beautiful space features our shy beauty Dobbin 08 in 20×30 format.

This gorgeous gender-neutral nursery was designed by the incredibly talented Kendra Bester Design and it is so pretty, I want to move in myself! Take a peek at all the exquisite details below if you’re interested! (more…)

TORONTO BRANDING PHOTOGRAPHER: HOW TO MAKE MUNDANE WORK TASKS INSTANTLY MORE FUN

Whether you’re your own boss or working for somebody else, we all have those pesky ‘I have to do this but I really really hate this’ tasks that at the end of the day just have to get done. Perhaps book keeping is your nemesis, maybe sending out contracts and invoices isn’t your jam, or maybe returning endless emails gets you a bit down.

Whatever your despised action item is (and be honest, we all have them no matter how much we love our jobs), we’re happy to report that we’ve come up with a tried and true strategy to turn those frowns upside down and restore the fun to work; all aspects of work! (more…)

AFFORDABLE TORONTO WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER: DARLING TRASH THE DRESS SESSION

I’ve always thought it a great shame that so much time, energy and expense goes into finding the ideal dress for a wedding day, only to have it locked up in a closet for the rest of its life once the cake is cut. So when this lovely couple reached out to me wanting to do something creative with their wedding dress, I leapt at the opportunity! They wanted bright, bubbly and fun so we put our heads together and came up with this colourful concept. (more…)

AFFORDABLE TORONTO WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER: INTIMATE WEDDING AT LANGDON HALL

Imagine gathering 12 of your favourite people in the world and booking a spectacular historic inn that looks like something that has been transported from a Jane Austen novel. This is the wedding I had the pleasure of capturing over the weekend and I have to say it was a truly one-of-a-kind day. The love, laughter and ease of the entire celebration was inspiring and most of all it was stress-free — even when the heaven’s decided to open moments before the couple’s dramatic first look! Here’s a sneak peek if you’d like to see. (more…)

TORONTO BRAND MANAGER: 5 BUSINESS SECRETS TO HELP YOU SUCCEED

I remember bringing my business license home like it was yesterday. I poured myself a cup of tea and I sat down at my breakfast bar while the piece of paper that declared I was going to attempt to be my own boss trembled in my hand. Running a business seemed out of reach, mysterious and other worldly. I remember wondering, desperately, how others made it work? What were their secrets? Today, if you’re interested, I would like to share five of my personal secrets for running my business. (more…)