As a Wedding Photographer in Niagara with over 15 years of experience, I have had the opportunity to document hundreds of engagement sessions in Niagara and all over Southern Ontario. I have been able to visit many amazing locations over my time as a photographer. Therefore It was hard to narrow down my faves. So here are my Top 5 Best Southern Ontario engagement session locations!
1. Balls Falls Conservation Area
With its rich natural landscape, the Ball’s Falls Conservation Area in Lincoln, Ontario is one of the more popular engagement spots amongst my clients. The famous waterfall dries up enough that 90% of the year you can actually walk on top of it. Not to mention the quaint cottages, rustic barns, a romantic fairytale-like forest, old stone ruins, a babbling creek, and walking bridge. This place has so much versatility for any engagement session.
My favourite part about this location is that no matter how many sessions that I document here, each one always comes out unique and equally beautiful.
It’s a perfect location for all seasons too! I shoot here all year round and no matter the season it holds its beauty tremendously.
Click HERE for one of my fave Balls Falls Engagement Sessions.
2. Niagara Falls & Niagara-On-The-Lake
I decided group Niagara Falls and Niagara-on-the-Lake together as many of the places I like to visit are all owned and operated by the Niagara Parks Commission. We have a lot of ground to cover here, so let’s begin with Niagara Falls.
From the Floral Showhouse, Old Power Station, all the way to Clifton Hill is a plethora of unique and gorgeous spots to have fun and document your engagement session. Cheery Blossoms in the spring, lush gardens, historic walking paths, the iconic Niagara Falls, scenic Clifton hill. Those are just to name a few.
As we venture into Niagara on the Lake we have the award winning Niagara Botanical Gardens. I could spend hours here in the Spring and Summer, it’s one of the most romantic spots you will find in Niagara.
If you’re a more casual couple, there are lots of craft breweries and vineyards that we can visit. In this session, we were able to get a few cool photos at Oast Brewery who actually also host weddings and events!
The only downside to Niagara Falls and Niagara-on-the-lake are the tourists. However, I’m pretty skilled at finding ways around them, it just means we’ll need a little extra time while venturing around here.
Click HERE for a Blog on one of my niagara Falls Engagement Sessions
3. Toronto
I LOVE documenting engagements and weddings and basically anything in Toronto! It’s really my fave Southern Ontario location because it’s massive and the options are endless! I actually lived there many moons ago, so whenever a couple asks me to go I’m 100% down!
The city truly inspires me, and I love the vibe that takes form in the photos. My clients can attest that I’m like a kid in a candy store when we’re shooting in Toronto, my eye captures opportunities every which way I look. The architecture, history, culture, and colours of Toronto make for incredible scenic backdrops.
Where are the best places to shoot in Toronto? Literally ANYWHERE! However some of my faveorite places to shoot are:
- The Lakeshore, pretty much anywhere along this path is amazing, including the beach.
- High Park, if you’ve been to High Park then you know that you could spend hours here.
- The Distillery District, its historic buildings and cobblestone paths give off a Euro vibe that is super romantic.
- Toronto Island, I only got to document here once and I just loved it, it’s a quaint community, and no cars are allowed. Getting the Toronto skyline from the Island also makes for some epic photos.
There are so many more places that I would love to take future couples to in Toronto so if you’re planning a Toronto engagement session, give this girl a call!
Click HERE for the full Blog on my Distillery District/ Toronto Island Engagement Session
4. Charles Daley Park | Jordan
Charles Daley Park is located just off of the QEW in Jordan near Victoria. It is a fave picnic spot for me and my hubby. I’ve done wedding portraits here and in 2018 I took one of my fave couples to this hidden gem for their engagement session. It’s a lovely lakeside park that has everything from giant willow tress, a little beach, boardwalk and a quaint inlet pond off of Lake Ontario. The photos from this session are some of my faves and I’m really hoping to do another session here again soon! What a hidden gem here in Southern Ontario!
Here is the link to the full session at Charles Daley Park
5. Dundas Valley Conservation Area
Another great Southern Ontario engagement session spot is in the heart of Hamilton. I first got to explore Dundas Valley Conservation area with one of my couples in the fall of 2019. It’s a vast and gorgeous wooded area and in the fall it is pretty epic. The highlight for me was the old train station hidden in the forest that is now a historic site for tourists. There are so many beautiful spots to photograph just walking through the wooded area with my clients.
It’s a relatively easy hike too. I loved it so much that I took another couple down there and found a sweet pond hidden off the entrance that we took advantage of. Not to mention the Dundas Valley Conservation Area is also close to some of Hamilton’s iconic waterfalls that you can pose for pictures right at the bottom of. So if nature and adventure are what you’re looking for I highly recommend this outing.
I hope you enjoyed my Top 5 Southern Ontario Engagement Session locations!
Not sure if you want an engagement session and or wondering how to prepare for one? Click HERE more tips for your Southern Ontario engagement session.
