Documenting a 16-Acre Groundbreaking Where the Real Moment Lasted Ten Seconds


OpenRoad Auto brought us in to photograph the groundbreaking ceremony for Surrey Auto Loop, a new 16-acre automall coming to the Newton neighbourhood, and the brief was straightforward on paper: cover the speeches, cover the shovel photo, cover the guests. In practice, a groundbreaking is one of the tighter assignments we take on, because the entire event builds toward a single frame that happens once, with no do-over if a hard hat is turned the wrong way or someone blinks.


We arrived early to walk the site, an unpaved lot still marked by rubble from the demolished Mountain Equipment Co-op distribution centre that used to stand there, and worked out sightlines around the excavator and the branded Surrey Auto Loop trailer before the crowd built up. That groundwork mattered once the speeches started. Christian Chia, CEO of OpenRoad Auto, spoke first, followed by Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke and Ben Taddei of Conwest Developments, and we shot from two positions through that stretch to get both the speakers and the crowd's reaction without moving through frame.


The ceremonial shovel photo is the shot every groundbreaking lives or dies on, and this one had more than a dozen executives, officials, and partners lined up in matching hard hats. Getting that many people in one clean frame, all eyes forward, all shovels at the same angle, took positioning the line before they knew we were ready and firing through the moment rather than calling for a single pose. We also worked the minutes just before and after, since the candid handshakes and conversation around the shovels usually tell more of the story than the posed version does.

Surrey Auto Loop event with attendees gathered outdoors near a branded trailer on a sunny autumn day.
White OpenRoad Auto hard hats displayed on a blue table at a construction groundbreaking ceremony outdoors.
Official Surrey Auto Loop launch event with speaker addressing crowd near branded truck in Surrey, BC.
Man in suit speaking at Surrey Auto Loop event podium outdoors.
Woman in blue jacket speaks at Surrey Auto Loop podium flanked by two officials at outdoor press event.
Man speaking at podium with Surrey Auto sign at outdoor event.
Outdoor public speaking event with a crowd gathered around a podium in a sunny parking lot with trees and vehicles nearby.
Group of professionals applauding outdoors at a groundbreaking ceremony on a sunny day.
Group of officials at Surrey Auto Loop groundbreaking ceremony, holding shovels in front of branded banner.

If you're planning a similar corporate announcement or groundbreaking, visit our Vancouver Event Photography page to see how we can help.