Bryn McAuley - Actress Portraits
Alright, TIFF is around the corner and I cannot wait for it to start. Such an amazing time of the year in Toronto. This post is a shoutout to all of my Canadian film industry peeps who work so hard yearly on so many incredible productions.
Sharing this set from my spring shoot with Bryn McAuley was on the back burner for a while, and I am so glad it’s finally time! Funny enough, Bryn and I have known each other for about a decade now, and this is the first time we've shot together. At this point, I'm not entirely sure how this session came to be, but what came out of it is pure gold. I mean, what else could one expect when photographing such an incredible subject?
Who is she?
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Who is she? 〰️
I won’t give you the Wiki spiel but Bryn is an incredibly talented and accomplished Canadian actress. As a voice actress she was part of some major animation series such as Paw Patrol, Caillou, Total Drama Island, Grojband, Hotel Transylvania, and many more.
She’s also the warmest conversaionalist and human.
As a portrait photographer, it’s hard not to fall into the "production value" trap. Coming up with an elaborate plan, multiple looks, outfits, and of course, filling up the set with as much gear as possible. The truth, the way I see it, is that beautiful light and an expressive subject go a long way.
Sometimes, simplifying your process can help make a bigger impact.
Speaking of impact, I decided to use LED lights for this shoot in order to keep the flow and rhythm going. It’s just such a straight forward and efficient approach to lighting - what you see is what you get. The less I fiddle with my equipment, the more I can connect with my subject. Every shoot is different, but when it comes to intimate sessions like this one, I would rather focus my attention on the person I am photographing and prioritize being present and engaged. It may not be the case every time, but it worked like magic for Bryn and me that day.
Ok, so what else did we bring into this shoot other than these film noir vibes? I think that without really saying it out loud, we created contrast. I don't mean the contrast in the tones of the photographs, although that was part of it, but more in the sense of how to approach photographing a person and what goes into that process behind the scenes.
I shoot so many editorial & environmental portraits in context and this was a nice change to photograph a person in a way that is so far removed from what they are most known for. I mean, this set definitely does not give off Caillou vibes.
Since this shoot, I have already worked with Bryn on another project that I am so excited to share when the time comes. Stay tuned!