Victoria’s Secret opened it’s first Toronto store on 28 October, and on the 27th, for a promotional boost, the company took over Yonge-Dundas Square (for those of us south of the border: think Times Square) and, in an outdoor studio with a fake red carpet runway background set up beside a huge promotional tent, held a photo shoot of its iconic angels. It wasn’t the usual run of VS angels, but anyone who was willing to stand in line, put on angel wings, and have their photos taken on a set by a photographer. Free.
Not a bad idea for a promotional event, and cheaper than paying for models.
I happened by late in the afternoon, and, attracted by the pink fountain, the pink banners, and the crowd, hung around for a while. Lots of angel wannabes. I did say they weren’t the usual run of VS angels, didn’t I?
The crowd and would-be angels included disheveled passers-by, tourists, women of a certain age, couples and men. Including one guy with a pumpkin. (Canadians celebrate Halloween, of course, but I couldn’t quite figure out what he was doing with a pumpkin in the middle of Yonge-Dundas Square four days before the holiday.)
So here are some of the angels, getting ready for their shoots or after their shoots. My favorite, I think, is the airborne Daedalus. Gotta love anybody who wants to fly close to the sun. Click the link to see more photos of the Victoria’s Secret promotional photo shoot in Toronto.
For the gear heads and geeks out there, I was using my current walking-around camera, a Canon 5D with a 24-70 f/2.8 USL lens. (Still waiting for Santa to replace my former M6 and 35mm Summicron with Leica’s newest and finest, but I’m not thinking Santa is up to it.) And if you really want to use a DSLR for street shooting, try turning off the AF and pre-set the focus.