Jenn and Arvin originally wanted fall engagement photos somewhere outdoors, surrounded by nature and beautiful autumn colours. Pretty straightforward, right? Well, we ended up photographing their engagement session at an abandoned paper mill in Georgetown, Ontario, surrounded by graffiti, broken windows, old industrial walls and some seriously dramatic light.
And somehow, we got all those beautiful fall colours too!
The abandoned Barber Paper Mill turned out to be such a fun location for creative engagement photography. Inside, we had all these gritty textures, colourful graffiti and unexpected pockets of light. Outside, the trees were covered in reds and oranges, with wildflowers and the surrounding ravine giving us a completely different atmosphere.
But the best part was Jenn and Arvin. They were fun, outgoing, willing to explore and completely open to trying something different. Exactly the kind of couple you want when you have a slightly crazy photography idea.
A Fall Engagement Session at the Abandoned Barber Paper Mill in Georgetown
I'd discovered the Barber Paper Mill earlier that year and immediately knew I wanted to photograph a couple there. It's an old industrial property in Georgetown, part of Halton Hills, with a history that goes back to the 1800s. At the time of our shoot, the abandoned buildings had become this strange mix of historic architecture, colourful graffiti and nature slowly taking over.
It wasn't the kind of place you'd normally picture for engagement photos, and that's exactly why I was interested.
When Jenn and Arvin first told us they wanted an outdoor fall session, I thought about the mill right away. The surrounding landscape could give them the nature they wanted, while the building offered something completely different. Luckily, they loved the idea as much as I did.
I always find that the most interesting engagement sessions happen when couples are willing to trust the creative process a little. You don't need to know exactly how to pose or what every photo will look like. That's my job. Just bring your personalities, be willing to have some fun, and we'll figure out the rest together.
Creative Engagement Photography with Graffiti, Shadows and Window Light
The inside of the Barber Paper Mill was a playground for creative photography. Every room had something different happening, from graffiti covering the walls to old windows letting light cut through the darker spaces.
I love working with locations like this because they make you think differently. Instead of simply finding a pretty background and putting a couple in front of it, you're looking at how everything can become part of the composition. Reflections, shadows, textures and the way light moves through a building can completely change a photograph.
With Jenn and Arvin, we played with those contrasts. The darker industrial setting created opportunities for silhouettes and moody portraits, while the colourful graffiti brought a completely different energy to the photos.
What made it work was that they weren't trying too hard. We explored, laughed, tried different ideas and let the session develop naturally.
That's always the balance I look for in creative engagement photography around Toronto. I love giving couples direction and making something artistic, but I also want the photos to feel like actual moments between two people, not a collection of awkward poses.
Fall Engagement Photos Around the Barber Paper Mill
One of the coolest surprises about this engagement session was how different the outside of the mill looked from the inside.
When I first discovered the location in the spring, I wasn't sure what the surrounding property would look like in the fall. But when we returned with Jenn and Arvin, the colours were amazing. The trees and bushes had turned bright red, orange and yellow, with wildflowers growing along the paths.
It gave us a completely different look without travelling anywhere else.
After playing with the industrial setting, we headed outside toward the surrounding greenery and ravine. The softer natural scenery was a great contrast to the graffiti and dark interiors. We could go from dramatic, almost cinematic engagement photos to colourful outdoor portraits in the same session.
This is something I love about photographing couples in Ontario during the fall. You can get beautiful colours almost anywhere, but when you combine them with a location that has its own personality, the results become much more interesting.
If you love the outdoor side of this session, take a look at Christina and Travis's fall engagement photos at Rouge National Urban Park. It's a completely different setting, but another good example of using nature and the surrounding landscape to create relaxed, personal photos.
An Engagement Session That Felt Like an Adventure
I don't think an engagement session needs to be a big production. You don't need expensive outfits, a perfect location or a detailed shot list. Sometimes having an interesting place to explore and being comfortable enough to laugh at yourselves is more than enough.
Jenn and Arvin were really easy to photograph because they were enjoying the experience. We had plenty to work with visually, but their personalities were what made the whole thing come together.
I could photograph the same building with ten different couples and get ten completely different galleries. That's what I love about candid engagement photography. The location helps create the atmosphere, but it's the connection between the people that makes the photos personal.
And honestly, photographing somewhere a little weird is a lot more fun when the couple is just as excited about the idea as you are.
Champagne, Sports and a One Year Wedding Countdown
To finish their engagement session, Jenn and Arvin brought out a bottle of bubbly and some sports equipment representing things they enjoy together.
I love when couples bring personal details into their photos. It doesn't have to be something elaborate. Sometimes a shared hobby, a favourite drink or a little tradition adds more personality than any fancy location ever could.
For Jenn and Arvin, the timing made it even better. We were photographing them exactly one year before their wedding date, so popping some bubbly felt like a pretty good way to celebrate the countdown.
Between the abandoned building, fall colours, all the creative photos and that final little celebration, we ended up with an engagement session that had so much variety but still felt completely connected to who they are.
Can You Take Engagement Photos at the Barber Paper Mill Today?
One thing worth mentioning if you've found this blog while researching engagement photo locations in Georgetown: these photographs are from a past session, and I wouldn't assume the Barber Paper Mill is currently accessible for photography.
I actually returned to scout the mill for another wedding, but the fencing had been reinforced due to safety concerns and we couldn't use the location. We changed our plans and ended up creating some really cool wedding portraits at the Aga Khan Museum instead.
Old industrial buildings can be fascinating photography locations, but they can also come with serious structural hazards and restricted access. I wouldn't recommend entering a fenced or unsafe property for engagement photos. Permission and safety always come first.
The good news is that you don't need an abandoned building to create dramatic, creative images. Historic architecture, interesting textures, colourful walls, dramatic shadows and unexpected compositions can all give you a similar feeling at locations where photography is permitted.
Planning Unique Engagement Photos in Georgetown or Toronto?
If Jenn and Arvin's engagement photos are your kind of thing, the best advice I can give you is to choose a location with some personality.
Maybe you love old architecture, industrial spaces, nature, bright colours or something that feels completely unexpected. You don't have to choose the same park or waterfront spot everyone else uses just because that's what engagement photos are supposed to look like.
For another creative take on historic architecture, check out Terri and Jeremy's engagement photos at Toronto's Distillery District. We worked with the old brick buildings, winter light and bold shadows to create a completely different look.
My approach to engagement photography is pretty simple. I want you to have fun, feel comfortable in front of the camera and walk away with photos that feel like you. I'll guide you when needed, look for interesting light and compositions, and leave room for the real interactions that happen in between.
Jenn and Arvin, thanks for being so open to this adventure and trusting the process. This is still one of those engagement sessions that reminds me why I love doing something a little different.
If you're looking for a Toronto engagement photographer who loves creative ideas, candid moments and locations with character, get in touch and tell me what you're thinking. I'm always happy to explore an idea that feels a little outside the usual.
Planning your own engagement session and want something different? Whether it’s an abandoned location or something completely unique, I’m always down to create something that feels real to you. Reach out and let’s plan it.
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One of the perks of being a wedding photographer is that you get to discover your own city and its surroundings. There are so many hidden gems around, so many parks and historic locations that we’d have never heard of if it weren’t for our awesome couples. Just last month, Christina and Travis introduced us to Rouge National Urban Park. Believe it or not, it’s a HUGE park located right in the outskirts of the cit,y next to the Toronto Zoo. So huge that apparently it contains one of the last working farms in the GTA, Toronto’s only campground, one of the largest marshes in the region, a beach on Lake Ontario, AND even some of the oldest known Indigenous sites in Canada. Yep, all here in Toronto!
Oh how we missed shooting! How we missed meeting our couples! It’s so good to be back, and there was no better way to restart the wedding season than with a romantic Prince Edward County engagement shoot featuring the cutest couple, Emily and Jon. It’s always a little funny to me when we first meet a couple and we hear one of them apologize in advance because they are “awkward” in front of the camera. Yep, it always takes a couple of moments to get used to the camera and to us running around you, but that’s all - it never lasts more than that. When we met Emily and Jon, we could immediately tell by their fun-loving personalities that this shoot was going to be a blast and they were going to rock it! And with the locations that they picked out, there was no way to go wrong.
