The Ask
The Canadian Football League and Machine Gun Kelly’s team had a straightforward request: capture his halftime performance at the 103rd Grey Cup in Winnipeg. The photos were destined for MGK's social media channels to mark the event. Our job was to get on the field during the 15-minute show and deliver a gallery that matched the artist's high-energy brand. On the phone, our producer mentioned the November weather in Winnipeg would be “nice.”
The Shoot
“Nice” turned out to be a full-blown blizzard. We were on the field at Investors Group Field in sub-zero temperatures with sideways snow, trying to protect our cameras, our fingers, and our faces. A halftime show is a controlled sprint. You have minutes to get into position, capture a variety of shots from different angles, and get off the field before the second half begins. There are no do-overs. We navigated around broadcast camera crews, security, and stage pyro, all while wiping melted snow off our lenses. The challenge wasn’t just getting a clean shot of the artist; it was about keeping the gear functional and capturing the chaos of a rock show inside a snow globe.
The Result
We delivered a full gallery of high-impact images hours after the show ended. The difficult conditions became the main character of the photos. The contrast of the stage lighting and pyrotechnics against the thick, falling snow gave the images a texture you just can't fake in post-production. The shots showed the raw energy of the performance and the uniquely Canadian environment it happened in. The client was happy, the images went live across MGK's platforms, and we thawed out a few days later.
