Specializing in editorial, speculative and creative photography and portraits with an alternative edge.
RavensTale Creative
Bold. Edgy. Authentic.
RavensTale Creative
Bold. Edgy. Authentic.
About RavensTale Creative
We don’t just take photos — we build stories.
RavensTale Creative is a Vancouver Island–based studio where image-making and storytelling collide. We create photography and film that explore the edges of identity, sensuality, and self-expression — art that doesn’t ask for permission to exist.
Our Mission
to cultivate a creative ecosystem where collaboration thrives, individuality is celebrated, and storytelling becomes a form of self-discovery.
The RavensTale Mandate
RavensTale exists for those who dare to tell their story.
We believe art grows stronger when it’s shared — that competition stifles, but community builds. Our studio operates on the principle of people first, projects second. We collaborate with artists, models, brands, and even other photographers that embrace authenticity, and we work to dissolve the barrier between the creative and the client.
Every session is built on respect, consent, and co-creation. Whether you’re a model, a performer, or someone taking the leap into self-portraiture for the first time, you’re not just a subject here — you’re a collaborator.
The Philosophy Behind the Lens
Photography, at its best, is a dialogue between vulnerability and vision.
We approach each shoot as a safe, intentional space — especially for women exploring the intersection of sensuality, artistry, and empowerment. Our work balances raw honesty with cinematic atmosphere, designed to help clients see themselves in ways they haven’t before.
We also honour the dignity of every kind of labour that involves creative and bodily expression. Respect, privacy, and agency are non-negotiable in everything we do.
Explore Our Portfolio
Community First
Our circle — affectionately called The Unkindness — is the lifeblood of RavensTale Creative. It’s a growing network of models, MUAs, stylists, writers, and filmmakers who choose to lift each other up instead of competing for the same light.
Many of our clients become collaborators, returning time and again because they know they’re walking into a space built on trust.
One of those collaborators is Ollie Henderson, who joined the RavensTale Unkindness in 2024 as our resident makeup artist. The daughter of one of Kyle’s oldest friends, she quickly became part of the family — now learning the photography side of the craft while continuing to make people look and feel powerful in front of the lens.
Our Team
Kyle Emmerson
Creative Director & Photographer
Kyle is a multidisciplinary storyteller dedicated to bringing imagination to life through photography, film, and narrative design. He is currently earning a Bachelor of Arts from Vancouver Island University with a major in Media Studies and a minor in Creative Writing. Kyle blends academic insight with hands-on creative practice to craft visually striking and emotionally resonant work. His portfolio spans genre fiction, conceptual photography, and short films that explore themes of identity, transformation, and the edges of the human experience.
Kyle has written and directed two short films and self-published two novels, showcasing his commitment to speculative storytelling across mediums. Beyond RavensTale, he serves as the Audio/Visual Editor and Script Editor for Portal Magazine 2026, where he collaborates with emerging writers and creators to refine and elevate their work.
Ollie Henderson
Makeup Artist
Born and raised in Ladysmith, British Columbia, Ollie’s fascination with makeup began when she was just old enough to understand what it could do — how colour, contour, and imagination could turn a face into a story. That early spark became a lifelong passion, driving her to dedicate countless hours to refining her craft.
Ollie joined the RavensTale Unkindness in 2024 as the studio’s resident makeup artist, quickly making her mark with her ability to enhance natural beauty while amplifying the surreal, the bold, and the otherworldly.
As she prepares for her post-secondary education, Ollie continues to evolve as both an artist and storyteller, embodying the RavensTale ethos of growth through creativity and collaboration.
RavensTale Roots: A Family of Image-Makers
Photography is encoded in the DNA of the Spurrell line.
Kyle’s great-grandfather James Spurrell trained under Elsie Holloway, who later went on to become the official photographer for King George and Queen Elizabeth. In 1926, James opened The Camera Shop on Long’s Hill in St. John’s, Newfoundland — a small business that evolved into Creative Framing and later the Spurrell Gallery, which served the community for nearly a century before closing in April 2017.
Kyle’s grandfather, Bernard Spurrell, worked as a professional photographer in his early years, and both of Kyle’s uncles took up cameras and video in the 1980s. From darkrooms to digital sensors, image-making became a family language — one that Kyle continues to speak in his own way, merging legacy craft with modern vision.
Bernard Spurrell
Photograph by Bernard Spurrell
James and Violet Spurrell
Photograph by James Spurrell
James Spurrell
Photo by James Spurrell, 1935
Advertisement for the Camera Shop, 1935
Join Our Unkindness
RavensTale Creative isn’t just a studio — it’s a movement. If you’re an artist, model, performer, or brand that believes in authentic collaboration, we want to hear from you.