Career milestones photographing in Canada for the first time!

Good morning, Steemit! Not my first post made from an airport. Currently, I’m waiting to board in Philadelphia to fly back home to Minneapolis. This has been one of the fastest pace work trips of my career. Over 2,000 road miles, 2,000 flight miles, 50 miles of walking and anyone’s guess to how many miles I’ve had on subways and trains. I’m absolutely exhausted. I can’t wait to be back in my own bed.

I did reach a new career milestone, though, and that’s what I wanted to share this morning. For the first time, I had the opportunity to shoot in Toronto, Ontario Canada. Years ago, I somehow stumbled in to an Ontario photography group on Facebook. I shared some work and a few Toronto models were interested in booking with me. Plans struggled to materialize but once client did book a shoot with me during Viva Las Vegas for this part spring. Something came up and she had to reschedule and since then, there was always a chance of making the shoot up in Toronto. 

I posted a link on my website with tentative dates for a Toronto trip, and a few months ago, I woke up to a deposit for a booking for that trip. Toronto was becoming likely, now. I threw up an add or two on Instagram, and shortly thereafter, had my third booking in the Canadian city. The trip snuck up on me and I paid for an expedited passport, which arrived only three days before I left for this trip! Maximum stress, but everything was in place for my first shoots north of the border.

I ran in to cell service issues almost immediately. $40 through AT&T only afforded me 200MB, which I went through in the first hour. I made it to my first location to meet my first model. Delays and a wardrobe malfunction put us behind which caused our first and second locations to be broken up by a few hours. I used that time to meet with a cosplay friend I’d made through Instagram. Jada Koi, a rapidly rising Toronto based model. We shared a coffee and I told her, in depth, about Steemit. I walked her to work, which was a games and card store! Holy shit! I bought some Magic cards, even cheaper than I’d get in the US because of the exchange rate.

I hurried back and wrapped up the second location with the first client, then met another Facebook friend and brilliant photographer, Courtney Reader. She kept me company doing my last shoot by the Harris Water Treatment plant right on the coast of Lake Ontario. Of course, I used the new iPhone 8 Plus and took advantage of the stunning portrait mode. 

That was it! As soon as I came, I was leaving. I finished my last shoot around 8:00p.m., left Toronto and made a 7 hour drive back to Scranton, PA. Slept for a few hours, then an additional 2 1/2 hour drive to NYC to return my rental car. I loved Toronto, though, and as long as I can book shoots there I’ll definitely be coming back.

Thanks for reading! I post often. For more photography, art, illustration and the stories behind the work, follow me here @kommienezuspadt!