Location Guide
Toronto Location Guide
Every place I shoot across Toronto and the GTA, grouped by area. Each card shows the place, the feel of it, and what it works best for. Tap any location for the full rundown: parking, permits, walking, best seasons.
Showing 109 of 109 locations
Downtown Toronto
30 locations
From a session here Aera Toronto
Downtown Toronto, Financial District
A modern Italian dining room 38 floors over downtown that turns candle-warm just as the skyline lights up.
Couples · Intimate Weddings · Engagements
Book the venue first
From a session here Osgoode Hall
Downtown Toronto, Queen Street
Neoclassical columns and manicured lawns behind iron gates that were built to keep cattle out.
Engagements · Couples · Portraits
No permit needed
From a session here Polson Pier
Toronto, Port Lands
A flat paved pier across the inner harbour where the whole Toronto skyline lines up in one frame.
Couples · Pre-wedding · Engagements
No permit needed
From a session here TD Dominion Centre / King St
Downtown Toronto, Financial District
Mies van der Rohe's towers and a King Street streetcar rolling past, the city at its most cinematic.
Couples · Pre-wedding · Portraits
No permit needed
From a session here Toronto Islands
Downtown Toronto, Harbourfront
A short ferry ride to quiet beaches and cottage lanes, with the full Toronto skyline across the water.
Pre-wedding · Engagements · Couples
Permit sometimes needed
From a session here Toronto Music Garden
Downtown Toronto, Harbourfront
Winding garden paths and ornamental grasses at the water's edge, with the downtown towers rising right behind.
Couples · Engagements · Proposals
No permit needed
From a session here Union Station Great Hall
Downtown Toronto, Front Street West
Warm Missouri stone, windows four storeys tall, and a herringbone marble floor the whole city walks across.
Engagements · Couples · Pre-wedding
Permit required
From a session here University of Toronto
Toronto, St. George Campus
Gothic cloisters and century-old stone that feel like Oxford dropped into downtown Toronto.
Engagements · Pre-wedding · Graduation
Permit sometimes needed
Allan Gardens Conservatory
Downtown Toronto, Garden District
Tropical palms under Victorian glass, warm and quiet no matter what Toronto's weather is doing outside.
Couples · Engagements · Portraits
Permit sometimes needed
Casa Loma
Midtown Toronto, Forest Hill
A stone castle above midtown Toronto, manicured gardens at its feet and the skyline beyond.
Pre-wedding · Engagements · Couples
Permit required
Cherry Beach
Toronto, Port Lands
A rough stretch of city beach in the Port Lands with the whole Toronto skyline sitting across open water.
Pre-wedding · Engagements · Couples
Permit sometimes needed
Distillery District
East Downtown Toronto, Old Town
Car-free cobblestone lanes and brick warehouses that feel like old Europe, right in downtown Toronto.
Engagements · Couples · Pre-wedding
Permit sometimes needed
Evergreen Brick Works
Toronto, Don Valley
An old brickworks in the Don Valley where reclaimed industrial brick and green quarry trails share one frame.
Editorial · Cinematic engagement · Couples
Permit required
Graffiti Alley
Downtown Toronto, Queen West
A narrow Queen West laneway painted end to end, loud colour on every wall that cuts hard against clean styling.
Engagements · Couples · Portraits
Permit sometimes needed
High Park
West Toronto, Roncesvalles
A sprawling park that turns pink with cherry blossoms each spring and burns red along the lake every fall.
Engagements · Couples · Pre-wedding
Permit sometimes needed
More spots in Downtown Toronto
- Art Gallery of Ontario A spiral staircase in Douglas fir winding up through a glass ceiling Book the venue first
- Canoe Landing Park I still climb the berm for this one Permit sometimes needed
- Fairmont Royal York A 1929 railway hotel facing Union Station Book the venue first
- Fort York National Historic Site A War of 1812 garrison of earth ramparts Permit sometimes needed
- Nathan Phillips Square Curved white towers Permit sometimes needed
- One King West Hotel A 1914 Dominion Bank vault under the Financial District Permit required
- Pantages Hotel A third floor event space that overlooks Massey Hall and fills with natural light Book the venue first
- Ripley's Aquarium of Canada I love what the tunnel does to faces here Permit sometimes needed
- Riverdale Park East A wide grass hill above the Don Valley Permit sometimes needed
- Royal Ontario Museum Libeskind's aluminum and glass shards cut over Bloor Street Permit sometimes needed
- Spadina Museum A 5 Permit required
- Sugar Beach Candy pink umbrellas over white sand on a former parking lot Permit sometimes needed
- Sunnyside Pavilion A 1922 Beaux Arts bathing pavilion where columns and a wide archway open straight onto the boardwalk Permit sometimes needed
- Trillium Park at Ontario Place A stone ravine stamped with moccasin prints opens straight onto Lake Ontario Permit required
- Trinity Bellwoods Park Stone college gates on Queen West Permit sometimes needed
North York
10 locations
More spots in North York
- Aga Khan Museum Brazilian granite and still reflecting pools set out in perfect geometry Permit required
- Black Creek Pioneer Village Forty heritage buildings on a gravel main street Permit required
- Earl Bales Park An open amphitheatre on the plateau Permit sometimes needed
- Edwards Gardens Terraced flower beds stepping down into the Wilket Creek ravine Permit sometimes needed
- G. Ross Lord Park Wide meadow grass that goes gold by late summer Permit sometimes needed
- Glendon Campus, York University A 1920s Italian style villa on the brow of the Don ravine Permit required
- Graydon Hall Manor A 1936 fieldstone manor on the brow of a hill Permit required
- Sunnybrook Park Horses in the paddocks Permit sometimes needed
- York University, Keele Campus A 1992 orange brick rotunda Permit required
East York
3 locations
More spots in East York
- Serena Gundy Park A West Don ravine where the canopy closes over the trail and every clearing catches a different angle of afternoon light Permit sometimes needed
- Taylor Creek Park A long green ravine under East York Permit sometimes needed
- Todmorden Mills Heritage Site An 1820s mill village hidden under the Don Valley walls Permit sometimes needed
Scarborough
9 locations
From a session here Guild Park & Gardens
Scarborough, Bluffs Area
Stone columns rescued from demolished Toronto buildings, standing in a garden that feels like old Europe.
Pre-wedding · Engagements · Save-the-date
Permit sometimes needed
From a session here RC Harris Water Treatment Center
Toronto East, Scarborough
A 1930s Art Deco waterworks above the lake that makes two people look like a film still without trying.
Couples · Pre-wedding · Engagement
No permit needed
From a session here Scarborough Bluffs
Scarborough, Bluffs Area
White clay cliffs over a sandy beach, the closest thing Toronto has to a destination coastline.
Pre-wedding · Couples · Cinematic engagement
No permit needed
More spots in Scarborough
- Bluffer's Park and Beach Masts in the marina basin Permit sometimes needed
- Colonel Danforth Park Highland Creek cuts a wooded ravine through Scarborough Permit sometimes needed
- Miller Lash House A 1913 fieldstone summer estate on a knoll above Highland Creek Permit required
- Rosetta McClain Gardens A formal garden on the edge of the Scarborough Bluffs Permit sometimes needed
- Rouge National Urban Park Among the largest urban parks in North America Permit sometimes needed
- University of Toronto Scarborough I love the contrast here Permit required
Etobicoke
2 locations
Humber Arboretum
Northwest Toronto, Humber College
Winding forest trails that open onto the Humber, green and quiet enough to forget you're still in Toronto.
Pre-wedding · Engagements · Couples
Permit sometimes needed
Humber Bay Arch Bridge
Etobicoke, Humber Bay
A sculptural arch over the lake that frames couples against the skyline as the sun goes down.
Couples · Engagements · Proposals
Permit sometimes needed
Mississauga
7 locations
More spots in Mississauga
- Brueckner Rhododendron Gardens Eighteen acres of rhododendrons under tall white pines Permit sometimes needed
- Kariya Park A pocket of Japan behind the Mississauga towers Permit sometimes needed
- Lakefront Promenade Park I shoot this one facing the water Permit sometimes needed
- Port Credit Memorial Park The Credit River bending down toward the harbour Permit required
- Rattray Marsh Conservation Area Boardwalk winding through open marsh Permit sometimes needed
- The Riverwood Conservancy A 1919 house with Arts and Crafts gardens set around a lily pond Permit required
Brampton
4 locations
More spots in Brampton
- Chinguacousy Park A hundred acres in Bramalea where formal flower beds meet a pond bridge Permit required
- Gage Park Brampton's oldest park Permit required
- Heart Lake Conservation Park A kettle lake the glaciers left behind Permit sometimes needed
- Peel Art Gallery Museum and Archives (PAMA) An 1867 county courthouse and jail in downtown Brampton Book the venue first
Caledon
5 locations
More spots in Caledon
- Alton Mill Arts Centre An 1881 stone knitting mill on Shaw's Creek Permit sometimes needed
- Belfountain Conservation Area The bridge sways a little when you cross it Permit sometimes needed
- Cheltenham Badlands Rust red shale hills rolling away from a boardwalk in Caledon No permit needed
- Forks of the Credit Provincial Park Rolling escarpment hills and a kettle lake minutes from the trailhead Permit sometimes needed
- Terra Cotta Conservation Area Wolf Lake and the sugar bush on one easy loop Permit sometimes needed
Vaughan
7 locations
More spots in Vaughan
- Boyd Conservation Park Old hemlocks Permit sometimes needed
- Copper Creek Golf Club A copper roofed clubhouse above the Humber River Valley Book the venue first
- Eagles Nest Golf Club A links style course of rolling fairways and fescue north of the city Book the venue first
- Kleinburg Village Main Street Old village houses turned into shops line the east side of Islington Avenue Permit sometimes needed
- McMichael Canadian Art Collection One hundred acres of Group of Seven woodland around a hewn log gallery Permit required
- The Doctor's House A wooden pew chapel with cathedral windows and its own bell Book the venue first
Markham
5 locations
More spots in Markham
- Cathedral of the Transfiguration Three gold onion domes over an open plaza in Markham Permit sometimes needed
- Main Street Unionville Painted 1800s shopfronts Permit sometimes needed
- Markham Museum More than twenty heritage buildings spread over 25 acres Permit required
- Milne Dam Conservation Park I come out here for the wide water and the meadow grass Permit sometimes needed
- Toogood Pond Park Willows along the shoreline Permit sometimes needed
Richmond Hill
4 locations
More spots in Richmond Hill
- Mill Pond Park A quiet mill pond in old Richmond Hill Permit sometimes needed
- Phyllis Rawlinson Park A farmhouse from about 1830 and its barn Permit required
- Richmond Green Park A gazebo on the pond Permit required
- Richmond Hill Heritage Centre An 1840 Regency cottage with a white gazebo on landscaped grounds behind it Permit required
Oakville & Halton
4 locations
More spots in Oakville & Halton
- Bronte Heritage Waterfront Park Masts and fishing boats along the harbour wall Permit sometimes needed
- Coronation Park A wide pebble beach open to Lake Ontario Permit sometimes needed
- Erchless Estate The founding family's 1858 house above Oakville Harbour Permit required
- Gairloch Gardens A Tudor stone house above Lake Ontario Permit required
Burlington
3 locations
Hamilton & Dundas
10 locations
From a session here Dundurn Castle
Hamilton, York Boulevard
An 1830s Italianate villa above Hamilton Harbour that reads like a European estate, an hour from Toronto.
Pre-wedding · Engagements · Couples
Permit sometimes needed
Art Gallery of Hamilton
Hamilton, Downtown Core
A modern gallery in Hamilton's downtown core where bold lines and plaza light do the editorial work.
Couples · Engagements · Editorial
Permit sometimes needed
Bayfront Park
Hamilton, Waterfront
An open stretch of Hamilton waterfront where soft lake light meets greenery right at the city's edge.
Couples · Engagements · Families
Permit sometimes needed
Dundas Peak
Dundas, Hamilton
Tree-tunnel light on the hike in, then a cliff edge over a valley that goes full orange in the fall.
Couples · Engagements · Cinematic engagement
Permit sometimes needed
Royal Botanical Gardens
Burlington, Hamilton Border
A quiet sprawl of gardens and woodland trails where the blooms are never the same two visits in a row.
Couples · Engagements · Pre-wedding
Permit required
St. Patrick's Catholic Parish
Hamilton, King Street East
An 1877 stone Gothic Revival church with a painted starry-blue vault and a rose window that lights the centre aisle.
Weddings · Ceremonies · Editorial
Book the venue first
Webster's Falls
Dundas, Hamilton
A waterfall in the Dundas forest that you hear before you see, with mist drifting all the way up the trail.
Couples · Engagements · Pre-wedding
Permit sometimes needed
More spots in Hamilton & Dundas
Niagara
3 locations
From a session here Niagara Parks Botanical Gardens
Niagara Falls, Niagara Parkway
Forty hectares of sculpted gardens that feel more like Europe than Niagara, especially on a quiet weekday.
Couples · Engagements · Pre-wedding
No permit needed
From a session here Niagara-on-the-Lake
Niagara Region, Old Town
Flower boxes and colonial storefronts down to the lake, the closest Ontario gets to a storybook village.
Couples · Engagements · Pre-wedding
Permit sometimes needed
From a session here Queen Victoria Park
Niagara Falls, Niagara Parkway
Green parkland facing Horseshoe Falls, with mist hanging in the air and rainbows on sunny days.
Couples · Engagements · Proposals
No permit needed
Oshawa & Durham
3 locations
No locations match that search. Try a city, a vibe, or a season.
Still deciding?
Not sure where to shoot?
Location guidance is included with every package. I'll help you find the perfect spot.