Great Locations for Toronto Photos

One of the aspects I love about being a photographer in the Greater Toronto Area is a seemingly endless supply of great places to shoot.

From urban settings to waterfronts to leafy parks and historic sites, the GTA is full of amazing places to make impactful images. When considering backdrops for photographing clients, I have a number of locations in my repertoire. In this article we’ll talk about some of those locations, why I like them and why I love doing engagement shoots, portraiture and more here.

Urban Vibes

Toronto is one of the great cities of the world, and I love its urban vibes and cosmopolitan feel. That’s true whether I’m just strolling the streets of Toronto on my own, or for when I’m with clients and putting them up against this unique backdrop to create images with a very urban mood.

Toronto is, of course, a multi-culture, and is ideal for urban photography & portraiture in its many diverse neighbourhoods. From Chinatown & Kensington Market to the Distillery District and so many other spots – both iconic (Eaton Centre bridge, Nathan Phillips Square) and more obscure – I love working with people to produce memorable images that evoke a distinctly urban mood and style.

Just walking the streets, amongst Toronto’s unique architecture and the character of its residents, gives me inspiration for great photography here. Some of my favourite photos were taken while walking the streets of Toronto, especially in the hour or so before sunset when the light is magical and both subjects and backgrounds really come to life.

What are some of the spots I like in particular?

Knox College, U of T

The University of Toronto campus is great, and I especially like Knox College. You need a permit to shoot here, but it’s worth it. Great architecture is found here, especially in and around the chapel and surrounding buildings, courtyards and gardens. Elegant in its traditional style, quite dramatic in fact. It’s in the heart of the city, evokes a great urban feel. It’s also convenient for people to get to, easily reachable by public transit and central to folks living across Toronto and the GTA.

High Park

You can’t beat Toronto’s lovely High Park for urban nature, especially in May for those couple of weeks when the cherry blossoms are out. High Park is great virtually year-round, though, and I’m always happy exploring its many settings, doing portraits and engagement shoots.

Toronto Music Garden

This isn’t one of those tourist guide or Instagram-saturated places, but another oasis of urban nature (smaller than High Park to be sure) is this spot on the waterfront just west of the CN Tower. That’s what lets us make some iconic, unforgettable Toronto images. Manicured grounds give a green backdrop with the famous Toronto skyline right behind it. Another one that’s fairly central and well within reach.

Distillery District

I still think this is a great area for a stroll, giving a candid, romantic city vibe. The Distillery District is worthy of the amount of attention it gets. Having said that, they are doing more to control capacity and are charging more for permits now. With good reason, admittedly, since it’s really a great urban setting. You’ll see Instagrammers galore here. But that doesn’t mean that we should avoid it, I’ll just make sure to plan it out well to get the most of our time and effort here.

I Would Love to Work with You

This concludes Part 1 of our spotlight on GTA photo locales.

There are so many great spots to shoot in and around Toronto. Next time we’ll talk about more great places in and adjacent to the city, as well as some locations elsewhere in the GTA.

Whether you have are planning a Toronto engagement shoot, are looking for an urban location for wedding day shots, or you have other portraiture needs, I would love to speak with you. We can talk about what kind of mood and style you’re going for and how our visions can mesh to work well together.

Give me a call at 289.828.3030 … or use the contact form below if you prefer.

Until next time!

–     Moussa