Toronto Island Winter Engagement
Scheduling a winter engagement shoot is always a little tricky - the conditions need to be just right! So many factors have to be taken into consideration, like is there going to be enough snow to capture the essence of a Canadian winter, or is it going to be too cold for comfort. It definitely takes a special couple, like Hema and Dileep, brave and committed, to rock a winter engagement shoot!
Hema and Dileep had a vision. They wanted their engagement photos to capture the essence of Toronto, because they are actually going back home to India to get married later this year. But they still wanted the city to play a part in their engagement and wedding story. Even more than that, they wanted to absolutely floor everyone back home with their photos, to show them something different, something that screams Canada. And what’s more Canadian than the harsh winter of the Great White North.
Hema and Dileep chose the Toronto Island for their engagement shoot as it offers the perfect Toronto skyline and lake views. Since the island ferries only go to Ward’s Island in the winter, the residential part of the Toronto Island. We decided to take advantage of all of its awesome wild and woodsy spots, plus the fun and colorful historic homes that are scattered throughout.
Shooting in the winter in and around the city isn’t quite the same as shooting on the Toronto Islands. While it may be a warm -2 °C in the city, it can feel like it’s -60 °C on the island. As much as we always try to warn all our winter engagement shoot couples that it’s going to be COLD and to come prepared, even we forget how cold it can feel when you are shooting outside.
For Hema and Dileep, no cold was going to stop them from getting their dream winter engagement shoot photos - they were determined and so excited to see what we can create to wow everyone back home. Meeting by the Jack Layton Ferry Terminal, we rushed to grab the next ferry to try to make the most of the daylight. It was so fun to see Hema and Dileep’s excitement as they hugged each other while watching the city skyline inch away from them as the ferry departed and made it’s way across to Ward’s Island - it’s an definitely an impressive sight that screams Toronto.
Since, Ward’s Island has tons of beautiful and cool spots for creating fun and unique portraits. We decided to leave the city-facing part of the island until the sun started to set over the city, giving it an incredible sunset glow. We explored all the corners, climbed some very icy rocks, ran through icy puddles and through frozen grasses, and the entire time, it was COLD! If Diego and I were cold in our layers of winter clothes, boots, and gloves, we can only imagine how cold they must have been. Not wanting to hide the outfits that they painstakingly picked out, Hema and Dileep would only put on their winter coats between shots and would ditch them as soon as we were ready to shoot. But Hema and Dileep were phenomenal. They powered through by keeping each other warm, all while fully trusting us to create stunning portraits for them in this harsh winter weather.
As soon as the sun started to set, we had Hema and Dileep change into their formal outfits. We could see the sun quickly set over the Toronto horizon, giving the sky a rich and majestic glow, and we were so excited to capture it but we had to move fast. We had less than 10 minutes of sunset left, and Hema was shivering, standing in the cold in her stunning red gown, shoulders bare to the wind. It required a final surge of energy from everyone, plus a lot of cursing at the harsh Canadian winter, to brave the cold for a few more final moments and get that epic shot. Hema and Dileep with huge smiles on their faces, her dress swirling around her in the harsh wind and reflecting the last golden rays of sun, and the CN Tower in the background giving their photo that unmistakable Toronto city skyline. Hema and Dileep, thank you so much for trusting us and braving the cold long enough to create these epic memories for you - what an adventure!
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Tips on how to choose your location and date, what to wear and not wear, what to bring, things to consider, and what to expect from your engagement session.
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