Creative Supply - The Maritimes Meetup
- Haley Godin
- Oct 3, 2018
- 5 min read
Creative Supply Productions is a Fredericton based photography business. According to Ashley Dearing, this is how it all started:
"Brody and I met during the summer of 2017. He was a professional photographer looking to pick his camera back up, I was actively modeling at the time and seeking new people to work with. From the moment we met to do a photo shoot together, I could tell we had a special bond but never thought it would grow into this. Fast forward to January 2018, we launched Creative Supply Productions, a photography and soon to be videography business. I think what separates us from the crowd is our passion for our craft. We go out of our way to make our clients feel comfortable and proud of the content they're creating. We are happy to have had a great first year, getting to cover weddings, family photos, graduations, festivals, corporate headshots and more!"
Photographer: Alan Spinney and Helen Spinney Models (left to right): Cin Ther and Melanie Robichaud
On September 9th, 2018, it was the fourth Creative Supply - The Maritimes meet up, located in Moncton, New Brunswick. The previous events were hosted in Fredericton, St. John and Halifax. I had the pleasure to attend and meet many photographers, models, and artists from the area. I met quite a few that are located in Moncton which helped me make connections for future photo shoots. Ashley mentioned that the Facebook group Creative Supply - The Maritimes was inspired by her experience being apart of her very first fashion event. It was Dee Wilkies charity fashion show in October 2017 at Piccaroons.
"When you model for a fashion show be prepared to spend a lot of time back stage before the show. I took this opportunity to chat with anyone and everyone to find out more about who they are and what they do. I was blown away by how many people in the industry I was trying to break into that I didn't know. With social media algorithms it's not as easy as it was to find people online. This sparked the idea to create 'Creative Supply - The Maritimes'."
"It's an online community hosted on Facebook for creatives around Atlantic Canada of all crafts and skill levels. It's a safe and kind place to share your work, ask for advice and find locals to work with! The meetups are hosted for members of our group so we can network offline and learn from each other. Some of us have a hard time getting out of our comfort zones and working with others. Though they can be anxiety inducing at first, we find after the first half hour everyone loosens up, has lots of fun, makes new friends and leaves with awesome images!"
I love the idea of the Facebook group, I have learned so much and met many people by being apart of this social media group. All the connections I have made through this group has helped me build my portfolio. Creative Supply - The Maritimes has given me the opportunity to promote my modeling, find model calls, also connect with photographers and other models.
Photographer: Luna Photography Models: Top (left to right) Melanie Robichaud, Haley Godin, Yvonne Collado Malaluan and Emilia Tupy Bottom (left to right) Emilia Tupy and Ashley Dearing.
One of the models, Melanie Robichaud, said:
“The meetups are always a place to meet new photographers and model in the region. They're always really cool because each photographer and model has a different way with the camera and it's really interesting to see them all come together and make amazing art. “
Everyone was supposed to meet in front of Starbucks downtown before we could start taking pictures. Not knowing what to expect, I arrived at the location where I immediately found a small group consisting of about five people, I noticed someone had a camera which led me to ask if they were also there for the meetup. After introducing myself to everyone, a few people began to join, and then as time went by, more people had arrived. After approximately 10 minutes, everyone was there, we were a group of about 20 people.
Britt Anne, a photographer from Fredericton, said:
"It was my second meetup organized by Creative Supply Productions. I always love meeting new creatives from the East Coast. I love that everyone is so friendly and willing to help each other out. It's just an overall great experience!"
We all started walking towards Robinson court to begin the meetup, Ashley and Brody immediately began to explain how we were going to proceed. They started by dividing the models and photographers which made it easier for them to pair us up to start taking pictures. Robinson court offered many great areas to work with including very sunny and shady areas.
Photographer: Luna Photography
Models (left to right): Melanie Robichaud, Emilia Tupy and Melanie Robichaud
In the first half an hour, I had the chance to work with three different photographers before we changed location, it had been decided that we were going to the parking garage next. I never been in a parking garage which made it a special experience for me, after we reached the top, we separated into groups again to get some more great shots.
Photographer: Karl Roy
In frame (first): Haley Godin - (second and third): Brody LeBlanc and Melanie Robichaud (fourth): Emilia Tupy - (fifth): Britt Anne and Haley Godin - (sixth) Ashley Dearing
These events can greatly benefit photographers and models, Ashley explained:
"I personally think it's so important to step out of your comfort zone to grow as a person and an artist. You never know who you'll meet at these events that you can work with again in the future, or what tips and techniques you'll take away. At the very least it's a great way to shoot a couple models or work with multiple photographers. You'll leave with many killer images, I always leave these events feeling inspired and ready to edit."
With every photographer I met, we introduced ourselves, and they were all very friendly and talented. I gave my modeling business card to each photographer that I worked with to make it easier for them to find me on social media. When we were finished taking pictures, everyone was talking to each other about different things, we all seemed to be having a great time. People started leaving, and we were down to six people talking outside, getting to know each other.
I was extremely happy to finally meet Ashley in person, she told me about some of her future plans with Creative Supply Productions and I told her about some things I'm working on for my modeling career. We finally said our goodbyes, and as I was walking home I just couldn't stop thinking about the meetup and everyone I just met. I also was already very anxious to see the pictures from each different photographer and excited to see pictures of myself in the same outfit but taken from different photographers who have different styles.
Since the meetup, I have seen pictures from a few different photographers, and I can't be any happier with the results. The photographers and other models have done a phenomenal job! I'm very glad to have met multiple photographers and other models, and also hope to work with some of these lovely people in the future. I am looking forward to next years meetup and many more events to come planned by Creative Supply Productions.
Ashley and Brody's expectations were met beyond what they imagined, "If I'm being honest, Brody and I were a tad nervous to host our event in Moncton. We had a large presence in Fredericton as this is our home base so whenever we travel we're a little nervous to see if anyone will come. We were humbled by the large presence at this meetup. Everyone was so kind and helpful to each other that it really made this event special. We'll certainly be back in Moncton in the future.
I am looking for a female model to help me finish a life size statue that I have started , Must be close to 5ft. 3in. tall and weigh close to 125lb. can supply references from the local art community