Maestro Fresh Wes Honoured @ Scarborough Shooting Stars Halftime
It always feels like a privilege to work with the legendary Canadian rapper, Maestro Fresh-Wes, as he is, as they say “The Godfather”. So when he called me up to come capture his honouring at Halftime of the Scarborough Shooting Stars Basketball game, I was in as usual! Check the video above to see how …
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90’s Nostalgia Festival 2022
In what’s becoming a bit of a tradition, I was once again back this year for another round of the 90’s Nostalgia Festival weekend! Handling photography and video for the 2 day event, I ran around capturing all the fun for Freestyle Friday (which featured Stevie B, Joee, Rockell, The Cover Girls, Lil Suzy), as …
Moving To Ontario!
It’s been an incredible year and a half living on the west coast of Canada (again), and while I love the life of being here, my work keeps calling me back to Ontario. So I’m headed out on another cross country drive, the 10th in this car of mine, and I’m looking forward to all …
Snak The Ripper Live in Victoria, BC
It’s been a long while without the usual concerts and live shows of life, and specifically an extra long two and a half years since seeing my last Snak the Ripper show, but this past Sunday it went down in Victoria, BC! I took the ferry over to Vancouver island and not only shot a …
The New Vlog Content!
It’s been a long time in the making but I’ve finally taken the first step in getting some vlogging content up on my youtube channel! Ever since my roadtrip to California in 2016 when I filmed “The Beautiful Escape” (on GoPro cameras), I’ve wanted to get back into documenting my work, life, and travels. Of …
Snak The Ripper “In The Sticks” [Studio Session]
Back in the fall of last year while he was recording his new album, Snak the Ripper asked me to come capture his studio session for a new track called, “In The Sticks”. Snak explained that this would be in the vein of his classic track “From The Dirt”, so I was instantly excited to …
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Si Systems [Recruitment Video]
As you may have seen from my bts posts a couple months back, I’ve been working on a corporate video production for the multi-national company, Si Systems. They have an amazing team and wanted to capture a “day in the life” feel to their video, so we got busy shooting all over Toronto and Vancouver… …
Truth Willis “Who?” [Official Video]
After scooting his way into your head a few weeks ago, we back with more visuals from Toronto artist, Truth Willis, for his latest single, “Who?“. The song, produced by Rob Kelly is the second track off the critically acclaimed project, “Yung Old Man“, and the video was directed, shot, & edited by myself. We …
Snak The Ripper “Until The Wheels Falls Off” [BTS]
Gearing up for the release of his next studio album, Vancouver-based rapper, Snak The Ripper has begun rolling out the singles and videos for the project, including the banger “Until The Wheels Falls Off” featuring Young Sin. That video was shot and directed by Beau Bokan, and I was on-set to capture behind-the-scenes for all …
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Truth Willis “Yung Old Man” [Official Video]
The process of shooting a music video can be a mixture of everything from fun to pain in the ass, but this was definitely one of those super enjoyable shoots! I’ve know Toronto Producer/Rapper Truth Willis for over 15 years and when he reached out about his new EP and wanting to create a couple …
MMA FIGHTER PROFILE – Shawna Ram
I’ve long wanted to film something in a gym setting and never had or made the opportunity happen… So when professional MMA fighter Shawna ‘The Junglee’ Ram was looking to capture a feature piece for her upcoming fight, I was happy to come join her training session. Check out the video we produced above, and …
Twenty Twenty One Recap Reel
It was an incredibly adventurous year of working with artists, creatives, and clients all over Canada, so here’s some of what I captured along the way. Big thanks to every person I had the fortune of creating with in 2021, and I’m so excited for the next level we taking things to in 2022! – …
Choclair “Got This” [Official Video]
Almost exactly one year later I’m back in the directors chair for another Choclair music video, this time for his new track, “Got This”. The song itself was produced by Harwit, while the video is a mixture of footage we shot this past September at the “90’s Nostalgia Tour” stop in Vaughan, Ontario. The show …
Sick Steen “Hard Days” [Official Video]
Alright peoples, it’s been a long time in the making but I’m excited to show you all this latest music video production I put together! Back in May of this year when Vancouver artist, Sick Steen, first brought me the song “Hard Days”, I knew we had something incredible to work with, especially featuring an …
90’s Nostalgia Festival
It’s been a long 18 months since I last filmed a big live concert and damn was it so good to be back!! When the organizers of the 90’s Nostalgia Tour first reached out to me in February 2020 about taking the 2019 event (in Vaughan) on the road for a tour across Canada, I …
Sick Steen “Train Of Thought” Official Music Video
Good morning peoples! Excited to show you all the latest music video that I did for Vancouver artist Sick Steen and his track, “Train of Thought”. Having grown up in Toronto most my life, public transit is something then can be a tricky place to navigate, especially with a camera, so shooting a music video …
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Del Vinyl Photoshoot BTS
Back with a second post in one week! This time a behind-the-scenes video for the crew at Del Vinyl Entertainment and their photoshoot at the Guildwood Inn, in Scarborough, Ontario. Showing up in their best duds, the team of DJ Rob Greedo, DJ Sean Law, DJ/MC Octavio OC, and Rob Fresh Air Flo were ready …
Abi² “Conflicted” Music Video BTS
While back in Toronto a few weeks ago, I finally got the opportunity to work with director Eddie Cristo, who asked me to come shoot behind-the scenes for his latest project, a music video for new artist, Abi² and her song “Conflicted”. Having watched Eddie through social media channels for the past couple years, I …
Sick Steen “ARTery” [Official Video]
One of the things I enjoy most about making music videos, is getting to work closely with artists on bringing their sound to visual life. This all was definitely the case with my recent work on Sick Steen’s track, “ARTery” in which I directed, shot, and edited the video you see above. We had a …
30 Days In B.C.
In early July of last summer, I packed the Jetta and headed west for the umpteeth time, staying first in Vancouver, and then splitting my time between Kelowna and other areas. Over the next few weeks, I stayed busy shooting up a storm with all my cameras, droning all over the place and adventuring with …
Elicit “Sundown” [Official Video]
It’s been a wet and grey winter on the west coast, but in the midst of it all, we managed to shoot a music video entitled, “Sundown”! Connecting with Vancouver-based rapper, Elicit, we set out to create a visual compliment to this latest track of his, and filmed over multiple days in both Vancouver and …
Moon & Back Gallery
While it’s been a winter of mostly hibernation, I can’t ever let a good location go unused, and so once I found out about the Moon and Back Gallery here in Vancouver, I had to check it out! Stopping by for just an hour visit with my friend Nadine, we were able to snap some …
“3 Kings” Behind The Scenes
Back in November of last year, I heard from hip hop artist and fellow Torontonian, Young Stitch, that he would be out on the West Coast to shoot some video content. Along with Vancouver rapper, Junk, the two were working on their new joint project, which also featured Snak The Ripper for their first single, …
Hollywood Theatre, Vancouver BC
With all the experience I gained shooting 70 movie theatres across Canada in 2017 (for Cineplex Odeon), it was quite the recent pleasure to capture the freshly renovated Hollywood Theatre in Vancouver, BC. The owners started their ambitious project over 3 years ago, fully restoring the beautiful heritage building, and giving it the most incredible …
On to 2021…
While it’s safe to stay we’re all ready for 2020 to be gone and a new year of positive possibilities to come, I think it’s still important to be grateful for even getting another year on this thing we call earth, and try to find happiness in just having the necessities. Maybe easier said than …
Snak The Ripper “Trust The Process” [Official Video]
If you’ve been following my work for the past couple years, you are likely quite familiar with Vancouver based rapper, Snak The Ripper, as he’s brought me along to shoot photo/video content on 3 tours, across Canada and 14 European countries. In that time I’ve shot over 50 tour videos for Snak, but today I’m …
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Choclair “One Day Away” [Official Video]
Alright folks, we back again! Teaming up for another video with the legendary, Choclair, I’m excited to show y’all this mini movie we’ve been working on for his new song, “One Day Away”. The powerful and heartfelt song was once again produced by Classified, and features additional vocals from Owen Lee & Q Benjamin, while …
Fog & Lasers “So Wretch” [Official Video]
I’ve always found it interesting to see where my fellow creatives go with their careers over the years, and to follow the evolution of their talent. This is most definitely the case of Rodrigo, who I met almost 20 years ago, and he was the lead singer of a band at the time. Over time …
Choclair “Backdraft” [Official Video]
Alright folks I’m very excited to present to you, the official music video for Choclair’s latest single, “Backdraft”. The video was directed, shot, and edited by myself, and the song was produced by Classified. This was a really fun shoot, tho also a very ambitious shot list to accomplish in one day, but somehow we …
Black Honey Bakery
Recently I had the opportunity to work with the good people’s at Black Honey Bakery, which operates in Peterborough, Ontario, and I really enjoyed putting together this promotional video for them. I saw first hand how hard owner Lisa and her crew work on everything they touch, which also includes delivery of wedding cakes, so …
Dizzi Cati “Love Me” (Performance Video)
It’s been a long time in the making, but I’m very excited to share this new creative project I’ve been working on with performer, Dizzi Cati. Safe to say this year hasn’t gone exactly according to plan for many of us, but having to adapt can bring forth new ideas.. and schedules.. So while Cati …
Wasaga Beach (Spring 2020)
Back in March of this year when the government starting shutting everything down, I packed my bags and headed out of Toronto, and ended up finding myself a cabin to rent in Wasaga Beach. This infamous Ontario beach town has been a special place for me since I was a kid, so it only seemed …
Mike & Lee’s Canadian Adventure (2017)
With all this time I’ve had being home and not able to adventure out in the world, I’ve a) been missing those adventures, and b) feeling like reminiscing on the good ole’ days. And one project that’s been sitting in my hard drive for a long time, is the epic cross-country roadtrip I took with …
Classified “Good News” (In-Studio)
If there’s one thing we could all use right about now, it’s some “Good News”. The world may have gone a little crazy in the past few weeks, but at least the big homie Classified is back with some new music, and a song that really is perfectly timed. I figured I’d put together this …
SMOOTH “Lost Boyz” [Official Video]
Back in February, before the world locked down because of this virus thing, I re-connected with Toronto rapper and longtime friend, Smooth, to shoot another music video. That said, it was -25 Celsius that night, so we only shot for 30 mins in the one location… and then the pandemic was announced and more shoot …
Stargate Sound & Light @ Seneca Event
During the summer of 2019 while working on the “Pizzafest” event in Vaughan, Ontario, I connected with Alex Zarbo, the owner of Stargate Sound & Lighting Inc.. Him and his crew were handling all the audio and lighting for the show, and I was super impressed with their set up. Fast forward to last week, …
Maestro Fresh Wes – Canadian Songwriters’ Hall Of Fame Induction
Last Thursday night was an iconic moment for Hip Hop in Canada. Celebrating the 30 year anniversary, the legendary Maestro Fresh Wes and “Let Your Backbone Slide” were inducted into the Canadian Songwriters’ Hall Of Fame, and should be noted, the first ever “Rap” song to have this honour! Taking place at the Phoenix Concert …
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Ruby Waters “Almost Naked EP” Release Party
Almost exactly one year ago, while on the Canadian Classic Tour (with Classified, Choclair, & Maestro Fresh Wes) I met a talented emerging artist by the name of Ruby Waters, who joined us for the last 4 shows of that tour, and showed all of us how to REALLY party! Besides being able to hang …
Raptors Halftime Show w/ Choclair
Earlier this week, Toronto Hip Hop Legend, Choclair had the opportunity to perform at the Raptors Halftime Show for their 95′ Rewind Night, and I was fortunate enough to roll along with him! Having been a Toronto Raptors Fan since Day One, I was incredibly excited to see all the behind the scenes of the …
Greasy Business Wrap-Up
2 months, 6 provinces, and 24 shows later, I’m pleased to say the Greasy Business Canada Tour was a huge success! In case you missed what I was up to recently, I’ve been traveling with Hip Hop artist Snak The Ripper, along with Lil Windex/DTG & Quake Matthews, for their cross country tour, with me …
Elevated Stylist Retreat
Before heading off on-tour a few weeks ago, I worked on a commercial project for ‘The Elevated Stylist Retreat’, Canada’s first-ever all inclusive educational and wellness retreat combined into a weekend just for hair-stylists. Getting the opportunity to shoot on location at Camp Manitou in Muskoka, Ontario in the end of August was a fun …
Greasy Business Tour w/ Snak The Ripper
Well here we go again! Staying on his touring hustle, West coast Hip Hop artist, Snak The Ripper is headed back out for 2 months of shows across Canada! After joining Snak & his crew for 2 European tours, I’m excited for this adventure across our homeland, and stoked create a whole lot of more video/ …
How I Got The Shot w/ Giancarlo Pawelec
Over the years of being a photographer/ videographer, I’ve met some really amazing peers along the way. One of those people is Giancarlo Pawelec. Not only is Giancarlo an accomplished photographer in many fields, but also an incredibly genuine and friendly guy who’s always willing to share his wealth of information. And so with the video above, …
Argos Halftime Performance w/ Classified
A few weeks ago on August 1st, Canadian hip hop artist/producer Classified was in town to perform at the halftime show for The Toronto Argos, and I had the pleasure of rolling with the family to the event. It was a bit of a reunion for some of us, being the first time we’ve seen each …
Pizza Fest 2019
Once again being fortunate to film another festival that involves one of my favourite foods, Pizza Fest 2019 in Vaughan was quite the party! Taking place July 12-14 at Interchange Park, it was a great weekend filled with food, games, and performances from DJ Pauly D & Vinny (from Jersey Shore), C&C Music Factory, The …
Hiroshima Hearts “Wreckage”
I’ve had the pleasure, or not so pleasurable experience of working on many music video sets, but I have to say, shooting with Hiroshima Hearts on their video “Wreckage” was a totally new and awesome time! When the London, Ontario band came to me with their killer new song, and the idea of shooting in …
90’s Nostalgia Concert
Last Saturday evening was the biggest show I’ve ever had the pleasure of filming, and it was something special to say the least! Easily over 10,000 screaming and dancing fans having the time of their lives, as you’ll see from all my captures…. Going down at Interchange Park in Vaughan, Ontario, “The 90’s Nostalgia Concert” …
The Burger Fest 2019
I am a fan of many foods, and burgers are high on that list, so when presented with the opportunity to capture all the fun going down at The Burger Fest 2019 in Vaughan, Ontario, I was all in! The festival not only included a ton of vendors with delicious burgers, but also some great …
Vessi Footwear – Toronto Pop-Up Shop VIP Party
Back in April, right before leaving to Europe on Tour for a month, I was excited to once again work with Vancouver’s Vessi Footwear, and see their Toronto Pop-Up Shop in the Eaton Centre. Running from April 23rd-May 7th, the Pop-Up Shop was a huge success, with line-ups out the store almost every day, and …
Maestro Fresh Wes “Jurassic Park”
If you happen to be from the city of Toronto, you’re likely going as crazy as I am right now for our Toronto Raptors basketball team! History is being made, as this is the first ever NBA Finals for our team, and also historically the first ever NBA Finals played outside the United States. Myself …
“Off The Rails Europe Tour Part 2” Wrap-Up
As I return from another European Tour with West Coast rapper, Snak The Ripper, I’m realizing that the experiences along the way happen so often and so fast, it’s hard to remember, much less try to keep track of it all. Fortunately my position in the crew is capturing as much as possible through photos …
Eurotrip Spring 2019
It’s been a cold, snowy, polar-vortexing kind of winter here in Toronto the past few months, and my keen sense of adventure and exploring has been suffering with all the hibernation… But today that all changes, as I’m headed back to Europe for a month long tour! As I mentioned here a couple weeks ago, …
Smooth “Verbal Abuse”
Back in 2014 when I was still operating a recording studio, I met a young artist by the name of SMOOTH, who was originally from Texas but now living in Toronto. We did a ton of work together, creating some amazing music, and I’ve always wanted to work on something together again one day. So …
The New Website!
Good morning peoples, and welcome to the all new redesigned shotbysolo.com! After a couple weeks of re-learning website-building, I’m very excited to show everyone what I’ve been working at, along with help from a talented associate, Jesse Smith, and I feel this a much better capture of where I’m currently at. This new website really …
D.O. Gibson “EPK 2019”
I always enjoy getting the opportunity to shadow and capture someone doing their job/ sport/ etc., as I get to step into their world for a day and experience it as they would. This was especially true getting to recently work with Rapper and Motivational Speaker, Duane “D.O.” Gibson on his Stay Driven Winter 2019 …
Off The Rails European Tour Part 2!
Feeling excited this morning, as it’s finally been announced that we going back to Europe! In case you missed my travels last fall, where I joined West Coast rapper Snak the Ripper on his “Off The Rails European Tour 2018”, I’ll be once again doing all the photography and videography for our month long trip, …
VR Headspace @NHES 2019
Trying my hand at some different in the video world, I attended the National Heavy Equipment Show last week to work with VR Headspace, an innovative development company that creates cutting edge Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality training simulations. Scott, Shelley, and their whole team were great to work with, and they really loved the …
Vessi Footwear
Back in January of this winter, the Vancouver-based, Vessi Footwear reached out to me to produce a promo commercial in Toronto for their incredible waterproof shoe. So with the help of Jesse Smith to host our experiment, check out what the results were from the Dry Shoe Challenge! Filmed & Edited: Lee Solo Project Manager: …
“Champagne Campaign”
Last Friday night at the Broadview Hotel in downtown Toronto, I was on hand and fortunate to be filming for Maestro Fresh Wes, and his “Champagne Campaign” Listening Party. The event was a cool gathering of people, who got a sneak peak at the new album, and I had a great time capturing all the festivities. …
Friday Fam (Vol. 1)
The older I get, the more I appreciate solid friendships. So last year while living in Vancouver, I made some life-long bonds with people I’m missing everyday, to not be around to adventure with, specifically, on Friday’s. It was always a great time chillin’ with like-minded people, all of us creating in our own …
“Off The Rails Europe Tour 2018” Full Length Documentary
Last November I had the pleasure of travelling across the pond to join Snak The Ripper for his European Tour in support of his new album, “Off The Rails”. I was capturing a ton of content every day, for 1 minute videos, re-capping the craziness of each show, but with all that additional footage …
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Fortunato & Onyx @ The Opera House
Happy New Year peoples! I’ve been taking some time to catch up on the many things I needed to handle after being on-tour for 2 months across 8 countries, but when Toronto-rapper, Fortunato hit me up to come capture his opening performance at the Onyx show on December 30th, I obviously jumped at the chance …
Snak The Ripper European Tour
If you’ve been watching my social media accounts, you’re likely already in the know, but I’m just finally catching up on things around here… as in a most awesome turn of events, the day after finishing the tour across Canada with Classified and the crew, I got to fly out to Europe to join Snak …