I had the opportunity to photograph the portraits of eight DJs to play at Montréal's newest and most extravagant night clubs to date. The club is called "La Voûte", French for "the vault", and it is located in an old bank building. At the time the building was built, 1926-1928, it was the tallest building of the British Empire. With its 50 foot high ceilings and intricate luxurious architecture it's hard not to feel in a scene straight out of a Harry Potter movie. The club is placed in the basement of the bank, using the vault's door as entrance into the venue.
When I was contacted for the shoot I knew I had to do something using the club's uniqueness, and nothing says La Voûte more than the giant multi ton vault door guarding the entrance. I had to find a way to implement it in the shots while keeping the background elegant.
As for the shoot itself there were many challenges. To begin with, for those who follow my work, you know that I shoot mostly outside of the studio and use the environment to complement my subjects. And I was flattered when the contact who hired me told me "no, I want somebody who shoots people for what they are, not some commercial photographer who does this all day long". The greatest challenge was to obtain that intimate connection that I usually aim for in my portraits, but this time inside a controlled and restricted area. Which brings me to the second challenge we faced. At the time I shot these pictures the club was still receiving its finishing touches, and the only available place to set up a studio was in the men's washroom which was not fully finished either, there were construction workers in and out all the time, they made for a great audience. Through electricity tests that would put us on hold in the best moments and the numerous obstacles, this was one of my favourite portrait projects to date.
In order of appearance, Marco Tropiano, Mac D, Raffi a.k.a. Special K, Andrew Pololos, Avi Large, Evangelos, Pat Boogie, Toddy Flores.
