In December we were approached by Toronto firm Kearns Mancini Architects to photograph their latest creation: the University of Toronto’s Microsatellite Research Centre, which had just recently opened. This was a really great opportunity for us to not only photograph an exciting new building but also to take a closer look at some of the most high end technology there is. These guys build satellites, then they send them to space… how cool is that? Really!

The project was not without its challenges too. Given the sensitive nature of the materials at hand, we had some strict rules to follow: we only had access for a half day, we were to be escorted at all times, we could not touch or displace anything. Last but not least, we had to keep our gear to a minimum to cause as little disturbance to the centre’s activity as possible. As professional photographers, this is the reality we have to deal with most of the time: there are always constraints, things often don’t go according to plan. At the end of the day, you have to be able to work around that and deliver. You don’t want to be a diva issuing orders and demands. On the contrary, you have to make sure you are as cordial and accommodating as possible to the people around you, while still pulling through. In this respect, we were able to build a great rapport with our chaperone – an amateur photog himself – who was really extremely generous with his time and really made our lives easier on shoot day. We can’t thank him enough!

We (and our clients) are very happy with how the photographs turned out and can’t wait to work with them again. See the full gallery here.