Yes, Mir Lada is his real name. Mir means "peace" in Ukrainian, and in old Slavic culture, Lada is the goddess of harmony, merriment, youth, love and beauty. Given that he was born in the late 60's, and being the child of two groovy artists, Marco Zubar and Sophia Lada, it's not that surprising.
Originally interested in becoming an architect, with a brief flirtation with sound engineering after that, Mir then settled on studying product design at OCAD in Toronto. This was an interesting precursor to his shared passion since 2000, co-designing web applications for managing media and progressive website designs. This site is actually built and managed with it.
At the last minute before starting school, he realized that he was already so passionate (and fairly knowledgeable) about photography, that he should just continue training to be a commercial photographer. While formally studying photography OCAD for one year, followed by four at Ryerson University, Mir supported himself by being the lead photographer for a teen lifestyle magazine. By his last year at Ryerson, at 23, he was already shooting ads for TD Bank, Harley Davidson, and Toyota at his own studio.
Fifteen years later, at the same, but now four times larger studio, he and his talented, dedicated staff continue to create complete visual solutions that encompass photography; digital post-production; 3D illustration using CGI software; and radical web technologies powering progressive site designs.
Mir’s approach is to balance unbridled creativity with a precise and extensive technical foundation. Known for his problem solving capabilities, Mir often will get involved at a very early stage with a concept, ultimately saving headaches and money for his clients. Mir has an uncanny strength at being able to completely work through a project mentally, visualizing the lighting, angles, and mood, without picking up a camera or light, resulting in his projects to be on time and on budget.
Mir works in several signature looks, but enjoys shooting in any style. He prides himself at being able to replicate any style. There have been times where clients have specifically had him shoot a whole campaign, but for every image to look like it was done by a different photographer. Mir loves challenges like that. No matter what his subject matter is, his enthusiasm always shines through: characters, situations, portraits, still life, product; where he shoots: studio or location; or what sector it is for: advertising, corporate, entertainment, editorial, or even private commissions.
Those that follow his work can spot a Mir Lada image a mile away. Those new to his work will just see consistently tight design, flawless execution, and purposeful lighting throughout all his projects. Mir strives to make the production process enjoyable and rewarding for his clients. When it comes to the latest lighting, camera technique, design, publishing, or pre-press issues, he makes sure he knows all about it.
When asked about his extensive knowledge of the medium, he explains:
"I had many of my first photographic experiences before the digital revolution, so I had to have really tight technique to guarantee results for clients and stay within a film budget, all without digital previewing. I made a point to always challenge myself by using all films, all formats, and all lighting styles. Doing that, I learned a lot about everything, and that’s why when I want to make something look realistic in the digital realm, it actually does.
I’m a perfectionist when it comes to shadows. Improperly done shadows, grain structure, sharpness, and lighting...are the dead giveaways to a digital composite. Sometimes, I look at major print projects that have been done by someone who doesn't have that lighting or digital experience, and just shake my head in disappointment.
Being able to visualize everything accurately, a skill from my film days, really pays off with digital capture because I need to shoot less to get the desired result, which allows everyone to go home early. Before digital, you had to know way more about the medium, to pull off the crazy stuff I did on-set, in-camera, and in the darkroom. You would think it’s all wasted now, but it’s just the opposite, it just gives you higher quality results with less digital post-production time
I got into doing digital in ’93, with Photoshop 2.5, and have worked extensively with it for these last 12 years, a lifetime when referring to digital. Back then, with a 33mhz computer and 40 mb of RAM, a double page project would take up most of your whole hard drive. Layers - are you kidding? Just a dream back then. Now with our supercomputers, all these limitations are in the past, but knowing how to optimize projects still creates a better workflow and control for the client."
Mir has won numerous awards and accolades for his conceptual photo-illustrations, including Graphis Digital Photo, PDN-PIX, Communication Arts Photography Annuals, and Applied Arts Photography Annuals. His arresting image depicting the late Chris Farley has been named one of the top illustrations ever done for Rolling Stone Magazine, and was featured in the acclaimed Illustrated Portraits book.
Some unique accomplishments include executing concepts for Canadian stamps and being in Liquid Space, a collective of three people who have done several stunning proposals using CGI visualization and working miniature models, to transform some of Toronto's more unique urban structures into Light Art.
Another project has been an interactive lighting and sound installation / costume made of scrap electrical parts. In ElectroMan’s first and only worldwide appearance, at New York’s famous Halloween parade, Mir as ElectroMan was continuously featured throughout the next day as a news highlight on CNN, as well as several of the local channels in NYC. Riding down to the parade, the character "shocked" people in the subway, a hard thing to do in New York.
