Dundas Valley Conservation Area
Have you heard of Dundas Valley Conservation Area? Nor had we until Cierra and Matt suggested it to us for their engagement shoot photos! It always surprises us how many amazing and cool spots there in Ontario, not too far from Toronto, that are just perfect for an engagement shoot.
Dundas Valley Conservation Area is located in the Niagara Escarpment in Dundas, Ontario, and it has a little bit of everything to make the perfect engagement session. We started Cierra and Matt’s engagement shoot at the railway tracks, which sit right next to a Victorian railway station, and featured some antique coach and baggage railway cars. We could have easily do an entire engagement shoot right there as the train tracks, the cars, and the station make for an awesome playground for wedding photographers, but we wanted to keep exploring!
From the train tracks, we entered the forest area of Dundas Valley Conservation Area, and it felt like we entered an enchanted forest! The light that broke through the trees created beautiful shadows and shimmered through the leaves. We were also very lucky with the weather leading up to the shoot as the forest floor was covered in little blue and white flowers, which don’t bloom for too long. We were all in absolute awe! As we continued, we came across a little spring, which I think may be the sulphur spring that lead to the opening of the Sulphur Spring Hotel that was a very popular tourist spot in the late 1800s. How cool! While the hotel is no longer there, we came across the ruins of The Hermitage, a stone mansion that had also been built in the 1800s but then was destroyed in a fire. While not much of the mansion remains, we had so much fun shooting around the remains, and playing with lights and shadows around the ruins of The Hermitage. Cierra and Matt, thank you so much for your patience and braving it despite all the mosquitos! We had a blast!
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How to Choose a Location for the Engagement Session
Do try to choose a location that is meaningful and special to you both as a couple. It could be where you first met, where you had your first date, or where you got engaged.
Do consider local spots you love to visit together, such as coffee shops, markets, or your favourite park to stroll in.
Do remember you can keep it simple and have your shoot done at home for cozy and relaxed photos.
The Humber Bay Park engagement session of Dominic and Michael was shot with just a couple months to go before their big day! Now, with just a few weeks left, we are so giddy with anticipation for their same-sex wedding at The Factory Lounge! Dominic and Michael arrived for their engagement shoot in awesome black and white matching tracksuits, and each was holding a giant balloon, one white and one black, a ying-yang representation of their relationship.
Rockwood Conservation Area near Guelph is a photographer’s playground. With so many unique elements to capture, it is an absolutely wonderful space for an outdoor woodsy engagement photoshoot. When Patricia and Habib asked our thoughts on capturing their engagement photos at Rockwood, we immediately said yes! Is it a bit of a mission to get to? Yep, but we love adventure!