Tips on Winter Engagement Photos in Toronto

Winter engagement photos in Toronto is one of its kind. The thick air and snowy weather give winter photos a different vide than the other seasons, a rather unique one. On many winter days, the sky is grey and the ground is white. This creates a natural filter and light reflector for portraits that enhances the tone of the images and skin colour.   

Outdoor winter engagement samples:

• Winter Engagement on a Sunny Day
• Winter Engagement in the Snow

Winter engagement photos can be done easy if we follow these three tips:

1. Always dress warmer than you think you should - when you're freezing, no good picture can be done. If the weather forecast says it's minus ten Celsius degree, dress if it's minus twenty. It can feel very cold as the session goes on. Especially on a sunny day, don't let the sun fools you.
2. Wear layers - wearing proper layers helps you to stay warm without the need for a bulky down jacket. Think thermal/ wind proof layers and scarves and gloves and water proof shoes. You also have the flexibility to take off the outer layers for pictures.
3. Be adventurous - winter is the quietest time for outdoor pictures in Toronto. This allows us to take pictures in locations that are normally too busy for engagement sessions or places that are non existent in other seasons if we dare to take advantage of this time of the year (on a frozen lake for example). Toronto can look quite different in the winter if we pay close attention and winter engagement photos can be very rewarding. If it snows, it's perfectly fine for pictures!
4. Trust your photographer - be patient with and confident in yourself and your photographer will help to make the photo making process easy and fun.

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Engagement Photo Ideas - Intimate Home Engagement

I'm writing a series on alternative engagement photo ideas.
Engagement sessions are something that many brides-to-be and grooms-to-be often struggle with. It's a love-hate relationships to some. They love to have some photos done but they feel awkward by the whole idea. 

Many of my couples share the same concern that they're not the most enthusiastic when it comes to having their photos taken. Many feel that engagement sessions are not necessary and even embarrassing. It's perfectly understandable that not everyone is comfortable of having pictures done in the public, not to mention being intimate when others are watching.

Home engagement sessions are intimate, romantic and relaxing. Engagement photos done at home are perfect for couples who want their intimate moments to be documented but might be too shy to do it in public. Although you still have to bare with me being there. making those photographs. I promise I will be as quite and unobtrusive as possible. 

Another benefit of an engagement session at home is that not only it can document the space you two have been living in together, the pictures also can be a piece of evidence of some of the details and routines in your everyday life. As simple as making a pot of Sunday morning coffee together to perhaps integrating your beloved dogs or cats in some of the images. It's surprisingly sweet when you look back to those moments. With a documentary approach, it's also more relaxing and natural for you as a couple to be photographed. Not every engagement picture has to be kissing and hugging. Capturing a subtle interaction between the two of you and an eye contact can be romantic and intimate as well. 

Click to see more alternative engagement photo ideas:

Toronto's One of the Kind Winter Engagement

Engagement Photo Ideas - Winter Engagement

I'm writing a series on alternative engagement photo ideas.
Engagement sessions are something that many brides-to-be and grooms-to-be often struggle with. It's a love-hate relationships to some. They love to have some photos done but they feel awkward by the whole idea. 

Click to see a more recent Winter Engagement at the Bluffs and here to see a Engagement Session in the Snow.

Winter is the quietest time in Toronto for good reasons. The weather is unpredictable and when it's cold it can get really cold. My fingers often freeze when I shoot a winter engagement. But for the same reason, this can be the best timing for couples who want to avoid the crowd when their engagement pictures are being taken. Also for brides and grooms who plan their weddings not far ahead, the timing for an e-session can be limited and a winter session might be just inevitable.

For those who want to stay warm, an indoor session is ideal. When it comes to indoor engagement session, location scouting is the key. I generally prefer spacial interiors, abundance of natural lighting and interesting elements to play with for creative portraits and documentary style images.

Another benefit of a well-planned indoor winter engagement photo session is that we can always head out for a little bit of winter vibe. That way, we can have our beautiful Toronto winter captured but can still dress lightly in the cold weather and not freeze ourselves to death.

Another obvious and more adventurous option for winter engagements is to pick a outdoor location and commit to bearing with the cold. It can be well worth it especially if we time the snow correctly. Outdoor winter portraits are gorgeous. Faces are elegantly lit by the light reflected from the snow. Snow engagements are also unique as not that many cities are blesses with the charming snow weather like Toronto. Finding a location that can showcase the snow is the key when it comes to a snow session. Brides-to-be can also wear their beloved winter coats and boots for the shoot. I suggest preparing a plan b when it comes to winter engagement shoots so no one get disappointed by the weather.

Click to see more alternative engagement photo ideas:

Intimate Home Engagement