The Promo Mailers.

We’ve all had them thrown onto our desk and in milliseconds they’re in the trash. Only a few have desk longevity.

BUT, have you ever loved one so much that you’d be willing to keep it for 41 years?

That’s exactly what Peter Croydon did with Shin Sugino’s promo mailer. Not only did he keep it but he mailed it back to Shin in mint condition.

Forty-one years ago Shin sent out a promo to about 10 photographers in hopes that he would land an assisting position. Fast forward to today and that same mailer promo is back in his hands.

Shin puts all his efforts into every detail of everything he does — and it’s always been that way. Look at the exquisite detail Shin put into the promo.

41 years later and Shin’s grammar still sucks!

Inside the envelope are three images Shin shot in his early 20s. These images got him his first assisting gig. Peek inside to experience the allure.

A big thank you goes to Peter Croydon for bringing back old memories and creating new ones. Thank you, Peter.

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Just remember us little folks when you become famous! That’s what we should all say to Shin’s tintype assistant, Naoe Tani (pronounced “now-eh”).

As Sugino Studio’s Studio Assistant, Naoe gets huge kudos for her contribution to the smooth running of the studio. She’s here on weekends so that at 9 a.m. Monday we walk into a fully functioning space.

Naoe has a heart of gold…and an eye for perfection. She’s extremely talented, with her passion being tintype photography.

The studio is a place where personal creativity is encouraged to soar. So Naoe’s inspired to create her own art during the tiny bits of downtime Sugino Studio has.

It all began with a darkroom course at Humber College, where she fell in love with the tintype process. Shin, a tintype legend himself, has become her mentor.

We asked her about her full-time job and her artistry.

Naoe Tani: With doing tintypes and cleaning the studios full-time, I actually am doing both things that I love. I’m a very picky, organized person and I find joy in cleaning. It’s my “me time,” when I get to make everything around me perfect. Then during my tintypes I am very quiet, dark.

Sugino Studio: Tintypes are very finicky, tricky. How do you get the lighting that you want?

NT: There are three choices: one is skylight, daylight. But it takes a long exposure and strong UV. The other one is artificial light: strobe, fluorescent. Either way the model has to be completely stable. They’re similar, but I prefer skylight.

SS: What do you like to shoot?

NT: Well, because it’s totally different from digital, I can never take the same picture again. What I shoot isn’t always conventionally beautiful. Sometimes it’s messy and beautiful, but that makes it the same as me — not always happy but not always sad. The photo reflects my feelings at the moment. And just like people, tintypes have fascinating imperfections.

SS: What’s your five-year plan?

NT: I hope to still be shooting. Even if I move onto a different job, I will continue on with tintypes.

SS: Where can we see your work?

NT: I was profiled on the Broncolor site, and some of my images are there.

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EXTRA! EXTRA! Read all about it! Prince Charles and Camilla will descend on Canada during the Victoria Day weekend.

The arrival of the Prince and his wife got us talking during lunch yesterday about Todd McLellan’s ‘Royalty’ series. If you haven’t seen it in person yet then it’s about time you have a lunch break with us.

This was a personal creative shot by Todd at the Blue Haven Farm in Rockwood, ON. The concept came about randomly, with Todd wondering, “What is something that was a treasured necessity in the “olden days” that now is mass produced? Chickens!

Chickens were considered “royalty,” especially by the Elizabethans, who served them at royal feasts.  Nowadays we eat a chicken salad sandwich nonchalantly while texting and watching videos on an iPad! Ah, how the mighty have fallen

But Todd really captured the elegance of the noble birds.

The backgrounds were shot separately on personal trips to Alberta & Saskatchewan.

Over lunch we all agreed that Todd restored the chickens’ dignity…while we texted, watched videos and ate our chicken salad.

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The Miller Lite beer can has evolved!

The new can now has a punch hole top for a quicker and smoother pour. DraftFCB Chicago worked with Todd McLellan on the stills for the new campaign which shows many common items that can be used to punch it.

What else could you use? Comment below and let us know!

The beer cans are only available in the States. Thus, Todd made a trip to the Windy City for this shoot and here he tells us about it:

“The Miller Lite Shoot in Chicago was a great experience with a fantastic team of people, including talented AD Todd Durston (he was referred to as Todd U.S. for obvious reasons). Our prop stylist, Chris Jakab, did a fantastic job sourcing the objects. That may sound easy but when you have a specific list including a shark’s tooth and a tight production week, it gets complicated.

The shoot was based on objects that can be used to punch open the new Miller Lite punch top can. What tool list would be complete without a robot arm, which I was lucky enough to track down in Chicago the day before the shoot. (sorry to ruin the surprise, no it wasn’t a real robot arm, and no I didn’t have to fight to the death to get it.)Unfortunately, it didn’t come in the nice metal finish we required and had to be painted — this is how I found out you can’t buy spray paint in Chicago! After tracking some down in the next district, I returned to my room where I happily ‘prepped’ the arm on my hotel balcony. Felt like Banksy himself minus the cool social comment visuals.”

Here are some photos Todd took on his Chicago trip:

DraftFCB Chicago
Art Director: Todd Durston
Art Buyer: Lindsay Tyler
Account Executive: Patrick Greening

Sugino Studio
Photographer: Todd McLellan
Producer: Taeko Yamanouchi
Digital Artist: Maciej Roszkowski

Props Stylist: Chris Jakab

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You may have seen this before and might still be drooling.

 
Now you can taste it! Double cross vodka is now available at LCBO.

Director and DOP: Eden Robbins

Editor: Aaron Dark

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1969. “The Summer of Love”. It must have been preceded by “The Spring of Lust”.

This spring has either been a long time coming or a “Long Time Gone”.  But I think it’s finally here.

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Maciej and Irene’s baby, Zoe, is growing up so fast!

At just four months, she has started to play the piano!

Watch until the end!

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It was 2002 and we were shooting an ad for Pottery Barn.

At the last minute, our hero girl did not want to let go of her mom so we could not photograph her.  It was Friday afternoon and we needed a little girl FAST!  What to do?  I called my sister and begged her to bring her daughter, my niece, Alexandra who was 3 at the time.  Though they were going on a family vacation to Portugal the next day, Alexandra came in to the studio for her first professional photo shoot.

Today, she’s back at the studio as part of her “job shadowing” project at school.

Welcome back Alexandra! – Love your aunt, Taeko Yamanouchi.

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Before 501 Eastern Ave was known as 501 Studio it was a laundry mat.

Shin Sugino bought the building in the early 1980s and turned it into half apartment half studio. Now 501 Eastern Ave is a fully equipped commercial film/photography studio.

The picture below is of the sewage disposal plant pumping station on Eastern Avenue and Coxwell Avenue in 1915. Click on the image below to check out more historic images of around our neighbourhood!

…well not exactly, but we did do a lotto job!  Rob Quartly and Shin Sugino were recently asked to direct the newest ILC campaign with DraftFCB.  Andrew Nguyen at Topix did a great job with the matte paintings.

It was a complex shoot but it couldn’t have turned out better!

Check out the spot:

Rob gives us an inside scoop:

Performance, critical timing, special effects, matching visual perspectives and car photography. This was a tricky little spot. A good idea, a great “work with” agency, and awesome VFX by Topix made the pre-production very detailed and fun. That’s not something you can always say about special effects jobs.

It’s certainly a good example of a great walk and talk technical performance. It was critical to hit marks and recreate action/performance in different wardrobes again and again.

Check out the way the golf ball flies. Not exactly Bubba Watson, but pretty good for an actor who doesn’t play! The ball was added in post – Rob Quartly

DRAFTFCB
VP, Creative Group Head – Joe Piccolo
VP, Creative Director – Chris Taciuk
Art Director – Johnathan Hotts
Writer – Matt Prokaziuk
Group Account Director – Nadine McLean
Account Director – Naomi Olsen
Producer – Leanne McLellan

SUGINO STUDIO
Director– Rob Quartly
Director, DOP – Shin Sugino
Executive Producer – Andy McLeod
Producer – Mary Ann Tevlin

RADAR POST
Editor – John Collucci
Producer – Monika Ghobrial

PIRATE TORONTO
Director – Tom Eymundson
Producer – Tyna Maerzke

TOPIX FX
Senior Matte Painter, VFX Artist – Andrew Nguyen
Senior Digital Artist – Rob Del Ciancio
Producer – Cathy Jefferies

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