Architectural & Interior Design Photography, Corporate Commercial Photography, Advertising & Portrait Photographer | Ottawa | 613-558-7585 | justin.vanleeuwen@gmail.com
For the third year in a row I was a sponsor at the Greater Ottawa Home Builders Association Housing Design Awards. Of course, I was also the photographer for a number of finalists and, of course, winners. In this post I’ll focus on the residential photography I did for RND Construction and their partners.
I was pleased to see my photography back on the cover of the latest issue of Our Home Magazine this season. It’s a great feeling as an editorial photographer to have your work represent the entire issue. It shows a lot of trust from the publisher and, honestly, is just plain cool to see on […]
I find that Extreme Family Photography goes in waves. It’s not something everyone needs every year, and that’s fair, because it’s a lot of work. Take the Stewart/Doubt/Howell/Evraire family above. Easily my largest composite image to date: 8 adults and 3 children (no pets in this one, thankfully).
The kind folks at MediaStyle were some of my first commercial photography clients in Ottawa. In 2011 I went for a hard-edged ring-light look to their corporate headshots. While I did follow-up portraits in the following years, nothing stood out quite like that first portrait set, so I wanted to go back to a more […]
What a pleasure it was to walk into my local craft beer brewer – Beyond the Pale – one day and have them ask me to take updated photos for their website. “You want me to do beer photography? Yes. Yes I will.”
When Shawn at Creativision calls you up to collaborate on a project with the talented Zara of XO Velo, outside on a day where it’s -30°C you don’t hide under the warm covers of your bed; you ask “Where and when?”
It can be funny who you meet at your child’s bus stop in the morning. In my case, a couple whose children go to the same school as mine also happen to be residential builders in Ottawa and had their own custom built infill just down the street. They also needed some proper interior photography […]
On a cold winter morning earlier this year I teamed up with Ottawa Singer/Songwriter Danielle Allard and body-paint specialist May Mutter to produce the promotional and cover images for Danielle’s forthcoming album, Chameleon.
How fortuitous that my favourite hair stylist (yes, I get a “fancy” haircut) and one of my favourite interior photography clients came together to design the new Mint Hair Studio. While Grassroots Design hasn’t done a great deal of commercial interiors, I instantly fell in love with this transformed space.
This past July my trusty Alex and I took a road-trip past Toronto to Burlington, Hamilton, and Mississauga to photograph some amazing Extreme Families. This has become a sort of annual tradition for me, but I’ve certainly never photographed so many families in such a short amount of time. Usually, I’ve gone to photograph one […]
Not all interior photography is a full-on award winning home, quite often it’s a small but important renovation. I know incremental renovations are all I can afford, and a simple update to a bathroom, kitchen, or another important room of your home could be all you need to fall-in love with your space all over […]
I’ve been a professional event photographer longer than I’ve been a professional at just about anything else. It started off as “Hey, you have a camera, take some photos at this fundraising gala.” To full fledged official event photographer status for a number of corporations and not-for-profits in Toronto and Ottawa. The Canadian Internet Registration […]
I was thrilled to photograph this exciting new project by John Donkin Architect and RND Construction which went on to become a finalist at the Greater Ottawa Home Builders Association (GOHBA) Housing Design Awards in several categories and won the prestigious “Green Custom Home of the Year” award.
The thrill of interior photography is that you often don’t know what you’re going to see inside someone’s home and, as is often the case, you can walk away completely blown away by what you encounter. This was the case for my most recent editorial assignment from Our Homes Magazine, when I walked into the […]
A portrait photographer often has to push people and seek out the best shot of an individual, sometimes they’re hard to coax in front of the camera and unwilling to do anything that would lend themselves to a good portrait. Sometimes they offer to light their hat on fire. Chef Patrick Garland of Absinthe Cafe […]
I received some exciting editorial photography assignments from Ottawa Magazine this past spring. First, I was privileged enough to work with the lovely and talented Sarah Mercer. Suffering from chronic health conditions, the feature story by Roger Collier covers Sarah’s transition from the “All-in-one” healthcare environment of the Children’s Hospital, to the fragmented and cold […]
Since starting interior photography for Grassroots Design & Build I’ve been documenting their projects almost weekly. Not every renovation is a full home, in some cases it was just a single bathroom, or a kitchen. The above image is from an older home in the Fisher Park neighbourhood of Ottawa. It was a dark and […]
The spring issue of Our Homes Magazine Ottawa is out, and with it a whole new slew of stylish and custom renovated homes and interior photography. I was surprised when I found out I’d be photographing local restaurateur Ion Aimers’ new (old) home in New Edinburgh – around the corner from his latest food venture […]
My second interior design shoot with Emma from Grassroots Design & Build was another caring project that helped incorporate the age of the home and function of the space with a small three-person family. Like the last shoot, Grassroots stuck with the original space, only removing an obstructing centre unit that kept the kitchen cramped […]
I love a good personal branding photoshoot. More than just a headshot, personal branding will give a subject the opportunity to showcase their personality over a series of different looks and setups. Shelley contacted me after a recent life-shift. She moved to Ottawa and has also left the boring life of a scientist to start […]
I love being an editorial photographer. With almost no effort at all, I get to meet some of the most fascinating and wonderful people in the world. Barbara McInnes has recently stepped down as the president and CEO of the Community Foundation of Ottawa. Having spent six years working in the not for profit sector, […]
I absolutely love shooting comprehensive campaign work for my clients. As a commercial photographer, working on images from the very inception of the concept is where I like to be. I was thrilled to receive a call from Claire at Bikram Yoga Ottawa to revamp her images for their new website and other potential ad […]
I nearly forgot about these commercial food photographs I took for Suzy Q Doughnuts here in Ottawa last year. The shop is only a few blocks away from where I live. I was their second customer when they opened up and did as much as I could to recommend the crap out of them to […]
It’s hard to escape the need for a good professional portrait or headshot these days. Between social media outlets like Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, or whatever else the kids are using these days an avatar that isn’t a heavily cropped cell-phone shot of your drunk with an ex boyfriend or girlfriend (you know the one I’m […]
