10 Top Unique Toronto Locations For Your Family Portrait Session

Summer holidays have finally arrived, so it’s time for the whole family to get out there and enjoy all the best this city has to offer! Toronto absolutely thrives in summer; sunny beaches, lush green parks, and cool urban hangs, all teamed up with longer days and warmer temps. Toronto is the perfect place for your family to make some fun holiday memories you’ll cherish forever – And what better way to capture these moments than with a family portrait session?

With so many great photo shoot locations, Toronto certainly makes for a picture perfect backdrop for your family’s portraits. Here are a few unique locations to consider - ones that are not your typical spot for photos in the city…

Family Portraits shot in Toronto

Family Portraits shot in Toronto

Family Portraits shot in Toronto

Family Portraits shot in Toronto

Family Portraits shot in Toronto

Family Portraits shot in Toronto

Family Portraits shot in Toronto

Family Portraits shot in Toronto

Family Portraits shot in Toronto

Family Portraits shot in Toronto

Family Portraits shot in Toronto

Family Portraits shot in Toronto

Family Portraits shot in Toronto

Family Portraits shot in Toronto

Family Portraits shot in Toronto

Graffiti Alley

Graffiti Alley offers a colorful and quirky backdrop for your photo shoot, and it’s definitely packed with a little more personality than your average family portrait location! This cool little alleyway by Queen and Spadina is one of Toronto’s most famous areas for street art. The artwork here is constantly changing, so your portraits at Graffiti Alley will always be totally unique to the time when you visited.

Distillery District

With its red brick walls and alleyways, cobblestone streets, 19th Century buildings, and interesting art installations, the historic Distillery District is undoubtedly one of Toronto’s most picturesque locations. Totally on-trend, the Distillery District will give your family portraits a modern, industrial-chic flair. The Distillery District is also a cultural hub of some of Toronto’s best shopping, restaurants, cafes, and galleries, making for a fun summer outing.

Polson Pier

Polson Pier is the number one spot to capture Toronto’s cityscape across the sparkling waters of the Toronto Harbour. While Polson Pier is stunning during the day, it really shines upon sunset! The glowing orange-hued sky, matched with the distant glimmer of city lights, will give your family portraits a truly breathtaking backdrop. If you’re a Toronto local, you’ll love the opportunity this location gives you to capture your beautiful family, and your beautiful city, in one hit.

Evergreen Brickworks

Rich in history and attractions, Brickworks is a trendy urban location for your family portrait session. From exposed beams and graffiti-filled brick walls, to green gardens and grassy fields, to abandoned train tracks and antiques from the past, Brickworks has so many cool spaces to choose from, each offering its own distinct vibe for your photo shoot.

Sugar Beach

This oh-so-sweet location simply oozes with summer vibes and provides a perfectly pretty backdrop for your family portrait session. Sugar Beach is one of Toronto’s most unique urban parks right on the waterfront, famous for its golden sand dotted with maple trees, cute candy pink umbrellas, and laid back Muskoka chairs. Not only is Sugar Beach an amazing photo shoot location, but it will also make for a fun summer outing with the family.

Osgoode Hall

If you’re looking for a more traditional and sophisticated setting for your family portrait session, look no further than the grand Osgoode Hall and its grounds. This heritage building is a historic Toronto landmark and has been a highly sought-after photo shoot location for years. Gorgeous Victorian buildings, beautifully landscaped gardens, and classic stone columns and staircases will give your portraits an unmistakable air of elegance.

Ripley’s Aquarium

Your family portraits will certainly make a splash with the beautiful blue glow of Ripley’s Aquarium as the backdrop! Not only is visiting Ripley’s Aquarium a fun day out with the family, it also makes for a totally unique and out-of-the-ordinary photo shoot location. Providing a much more relaxed and candid setting for your portraits, this space will help you capture your family’s authentic expressions of wonder and joy as they explore the exhibitions.

Sweet Jesus

For a fun, offbeat, and colorful photo shoot location you (and your kids!) will love, head to Toronto’s famous Sweet Jesus ice cream shop. This creative Toronto-born business is home to some very delicious, very Instagram-worthy ice cream creations, and the shop’s color-popping backdrop of bubblegum blue will create a totally unique and unforgettable setting for your family portraits. And, after all, what’s better than a family trip to the ice cream shop in the summer holidays?! 

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Owner of Bellatrix Photography, Cami Mendes is a Toronto-based professional family, lifestyle, and wedding photographer.  With many years experience in shooting family and children’s photography and portraits, Cami has a unique talent for making every child feel comfortable in front of the camera, resulting in beautiful, natural shots. Whether it’s genuine laughter, a cheeky smile, or a look of curiosity and wonder, Cami will capture your child’s pure essence in every photo shoot.

To book your family photography session with Cami, click here.  

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