Murat Yükselir/Globe and Mail
Caitlin Cronenberg knows a thing or two about catching your eye. The photographer has been responsible for the often-memed image of Drake atop the CN Tower for his Views album cover, patriotic portraits of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and countless celebrity photos shot during the Toronto Film Festival. But it’s her knack for drama (something she picked up from her father, director David Cronenberg) that’s brought out some of her best work.
The Endings, her newly released photography book, explores themes of love, loss, heartbreak and rebirth through portraits of celebrated actresses such as Julianne Moore, Keira Knightley, Patricia Clarkson and Imogen Poots. The book was a labour of love for Cronenberg and set designer, Jessica Ennis, who worked together to capture the images over seven years. “I would go to New York and we would have these adult slumber parties where we got pretty deep into talking about all the different relationships and break-ups that we’ve had, and we realized that some of them would make pretty incredible visuals,” she says.
Over the years of photographing The Endings, Cronenberg became a mother, something that surely added to her perspective on the female experience. “I find the only way that I can function is to keep incredibly detailed lists,” she says of juggling her professional and parental lives. Here, she shares the key things she needs to thrive as a woman in charge.
Joseph Saraceno
1. Oversized tote
“I have this big, beautiful leather bag that I’m toting all my stuff around in. It’s massive and it holds everything.”
Saloso Hairy tote in rose gold, $297 at Brave Leather.
2. Water bottle
“I find that really cold water makes me feel calmer. I put the cold, cold water in the bottle in the morning and it stays cold for most of the day.”
S’Well Neptune galaxy water bottle, $45 at Indigo.
3. Phone battery
“I always have an extra phone battery – a massive one to hold 7 charges. I have it in my purse all the time.”
Anker 5-port charger, $25.99 through amazon.com.
4. Notebooks
“I make so many lists. I just make sure that I have a list for every single thing I need. Someone gave me a few notebooks from Poketo and they’re just so pretty that they make me happy every time I make a list.”
Poketo terrazzo notebook, US$28 at Poketo (poketo.com).
5. Mini toys
I always have a Ziploc bag of cars and mini erasers in my purse all the time. If we go into a restaurant and my son, Wolfie, is getting bored, I pull out a little container … and he makes little scenes.
GoaPly 30 pc mini animal erasers, $15.99, and Pull Back car 12 pc set, $19.98 through amazon.com.
6. Lipstick
“I don’t usually wear lipstick because it makes me look like a clown, but I’ll wear Urban Decay Ex-Girlfriend because it’s a perfect complement to the theme of my book.”
Urban Decay Vice lipstick in “Ex-Girlfriend,” $22 at Urban Decay (urbandecay.ca).
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