Louis' Little Black Book - Butter Studios

2013 Jul

Louis’ Little Black Book – Butter Studios

by Louis Gervais / In Louis' Little Black Book

Louis’ Little Black Book

Featuring Vancouver’s best & brightest event professionals who share our dedication to excellence

As part of our new Blog Series, Louis’ Little Black Book, the Sales and Events Team at Louis Gervais Fine Foods has put together a list of top-notch industry professionals in the Vancouver area who pride themselves on a wealth of experience and expertise. They will be sharing tips, start-up stories, and bloopers with us…

To kick things off, Nicole recently visited with Chris Chong of Butter Studios to get the behind the scenes info about his family business. While his wife Gina was in the background doing a family photo shoot, we enjoyed some Korean Japchae, cuddled with their newborn baby girl Addy, and took a stroll down memory lane. Read the full details below.

Introduce your self
I’m Chris and together with my Wife and Business Partner, Gina, we run Butter Studios. We have a newborn daughter named Adrienne and live in Port Moody where Gina grew up. Our studio is also based out of Port Moody. I grew up a stones throw away from the Louis Gervais shop in North Vancouver.

Tell us about Butter Studios
Gina originally founded the company as Butter Media in 2004. She studied Geography and Community Economic Development at SFU and also Film Photography at BCIT. She ended up following her passion for photography after graduation. Shortly after in 2007, we joined forces and have since rebranded.

We are both photographers and proud to say that we are one of Vancouver’s best all round photography companies. We offer wedding and engagement photography, boudoir photography, event photography, videography, and we also offer fun services such as the photo booth. We were one of the first to offer this service in Vancouver. We’ve been featured in many online and print magazines including Wedluxe online and Real Weddings Magazine.

What was your big breakthrough moment?
Through the support from our community, friends and family, Butter Studios established a strong base early on. Years ago we were doing this on a part-time basis but when we decided to go all-in around 2007 and work as a team, there really were no boundaries for our company and we have continued to grow and evolve since then. Around 2009, we migrated from a home studio to a separate office location and then one year after that, we migrated from the 500 square foot studio to a 2000 square foot one in Port Moody. It’s a space that we are proud of and has opened up even more opportunities for our business!

What types of events do you do? What are you most busy with this summer?
Mostly weddings, weddings, wedding! We did 9 in the month of June and have just as many for the month of July too. It’s that busy season that we thrive on each year!

What is your most popular product/service?
Definitely wedding photography and photo booth rentals, everyone loves the photo booth! And Boudoir photography is becoming more and more popular as well, Gina’s studio schedule is packed with them. Shaw Cable did a feature on us, check it out on our website.

What has been the most unique event you have worked?
I’m a hard guy to impress because I’ve worked a lot of different gigs and have seen so many different things. We’re lucky enough to be a part of many great weddings and events, and every wedding is special in it’s own way… The first wedding I did this Summer though was quite unique. It was a very intimate event with only six attendees at the gorgeous Hycroft Manor in Vancouver. They finished the entire traditional process in a four hour session. It didn’t feel small or short either, it was beautiful and a very different experience.

Any “Oops!” moments?
None fortunately, aside from an assistant dropping one of my lenses! Among other things, we are also known for our professionalism which includes being prepared in every way possible! Mind you, I have seen a wedding guest fall into the sea during an outdoor ceremony before. And no… I didn’t take a photo of the poor guy. Luckily he was not injured and probably felt good to cool off on a hot August day!

What is one tip you would tell a client?
For either corporate clients or brides, this advice is applicable. You need someone who is skilled and prepared for all sorts of different situations; needing to quickly change a lens or other lighting accessory to capture the moment in the best way possible.

You get what you pay for and it’s true, as the old saying goes. Go for a company that is established and has the proven skills and experience. You can tell how experienced they are by how much they keep their website/online portfolios and print portfolios up to date. This shows both their styles and gives a good idea of their history and how far back they go.

Last, talk with them and make sure you have a good connection with the photographer.

What food makes your mouth water at an event?
Meat and mashed potatoes! At any wedding buffet I go straight for the starch and meat, my favourite is roast beef, and then I add just a couple veggies to make me feel less guilty… and get me in less trouble with Gina!