A self-proclaimed tech and “gadget guy” at heart, Rejean Lavoie of Northern Upshots is known for guiding interactive agricultural tours and offering high quality videography services within the Mighty Peace Region and beyond.
With a deep passion for agriculture and a knack for creating compelling content, Rejean combined the two and rapidly saw an idea come to life.
“I stumbled into creating farming videos by documenting my travels on a return trip to my hometown in St. Isidore,” said Rejean. “These quickly became my most popular videos online.”
Owning at least 10 cameras, Rejean’s top professional rigs are the Sony FX3 and the FX700. He also frequently uses two DJI drones, two Insta360’s, and his iPhone to collect the best shots.
“My main offering is video services. I do both the capturing and the editing,” said Rejean. “My portfolio includes weddings, motor sports, air shows, local events, and promo videos.”
When booking him for video coverage, clients can expect high quality customer service, and timely professional services.
“My job isn’t done until my client is satisfied with the final product,” said Rejean. “My ideal clients are those who want to create a story and capture a memory.”
Using Final Cut Pro as his editing software and several royalty free music websites, Rejean is able to use music that brings his videos to life and supply his customers with valuable content.
Often a tedious process, Rejean typically condenses what he shoots to create a more streamlined finished product.
“I usually put all the footage I collect on the timeline and edit it to be about 1/10 of the original footage captured,” said Rejean.
Rejean also provides bilingual agricultural tours primarily in St. Isidore, and often collaborates with other large farms within an hour of Peace River, such as the Maisonneuve Farm near the town of Guy, which has a large fleet of John Deere tractors.
“Farm tours can be tailored to include small or large farms, dairy or grain producers, and various stages of the crop cycle,” said Rejean.
With the aim of highlighting agriculture in the Mighty Peace, Rejean takes pride in organizing tours of his relatives’ farming operations, showcasing the hard work involved in managing large scale farms.
“My extended family operate both grain and dairy farms. Their dairy farm is the northern most dairy operation in the world and has 600 milking cows,” said Rejean.
When asked why someone should book an agricultural tour, his answer was simple.
“The Mighty Peace has some impressive farms with vast fields, large equipment and genuine, friendly farmers,” said Rejean. “Together, they make for an incredible experience.”
Finding immense amounts of joy in his line of work, Rejean loves working with all types of people and providing them with memorable experiences that they can look back on and cherish for many years to come.
“I really enjoy watching kids learn about farming during the tours and seeing grown men display childlike excitement when climbing into the big machinery,” said Rejean.
Taking pride in all areas of his work and being from a small farming town in northern Alberta, some of Rejean’s proudest moments are capturing his daughters’ weddings and sharing the local landscapes and personalities in the area with others.
“If anyone is interested in connecting or discussing how we can work together, I can be reached at 780-618-9226,” said Rejean. “I’m always open to chatting about the possibility of collaborating!”
