New Series: Photo Location Ideas In Whitby, Ontario
Welcome to my new series featuring photo location ideas right here in Durham Region!
Starting out with a little bit of history, Durham Region was created on January 1st, 1974. It doesn’t seem like it was that long ago, does it? DR includes eight area municipalities; Oshawa, Whitby, Ajax, Pickering, Clarington, Brock, Scugog & finally Uxbridge. Today, we’re exploring locations in the cozy town of Whitby.
Whitby has it all - a charming downtown core with a thriving food scene, countless walking trails and parks, a beautiful blend of old craftsman style homes and modern properties. The list goes on… But today I am going to focus on a couple walking trails and parks that are integrated within residential neighbourhoods. There are two locations that I will be discussing, as well as sharing pictures of each so that you can begin to imagine how your pictures will turn out.
Image courtesy of Whitby.ca
fallingbrook Park
Fallingbrook Park is located alongside Anderson Street and Rossland Road at 25 Fallingbrook St. It offers a play space for children to play, a large soccer pitch, beautiful weeping willow trees and a quaint ponded area.
We will be focusing on the area that edges along Anderson street and Rossland Rd. because it has better picture potential. This stretch of land houses the pond, tall grass and weeping willow trees. Imagine capturing winter’s snow-kissed weeping willows, falls kaleidoscope of colour and the lush vibrancy of summer right in your neighbourhood. It’s a photographers dream!
If you’re getting here by foot, you’ll get to enjoy a nice relaxing walk through the friendly neighbourhood. The residential roads aren’t usually too busy so you can walk in relative peace and quiet. It’s also a very dog friendly area, so don’t be surprised if you end up petting a few cute dogs on route to the park.
Your journey to the park however can start from two different entrance points. The first point of entry, if travelling from Anderson St. is via the small bridge directly parallel from the traffic lights. The bridge crosses over a narrow body of water that travels up toward Rossland rd. This is the ideal entrance point because its path is shorter to the pond, and immediately upon entry there is a beautiful and strikingly tall weeping willow tree. The second (or first point of entry for people travelling by car) is through the parking lot. It’s adjacent to a Public School, so consider travelling here on weekends when it’s less busy. For those that are walking, you can reach this spot by walking via Fallingbrook Street towards Rossland or Taunton.
There are many spots within this one park that offer up many photo opportunities. I can say that even the simple tall grass can easily take up an hours worth of pictures. Your pictures will not be boring here. In fact, it will only serve to inject more creativity into how you pose your subjects. You can accomplish a lot with just one area. Enjoy it in every season.
Here are some reasons why you’ll love photographing here:
It’s quiet (its far enough away from the main road that the noise isn’t piercing)
The reflections in the water are crystal clear because of how still the water is
The long and flowing tree branches can be used to create stunning foreground blur
When the sun sets, it shimmers through the trees and casts beautiful shadows on your subjects face and body
The weeping willows retain, well, their weepiness in the winter. So when snow falls on them, its spectacular!
It’s beautiful in all seasons
To inspire your next photoshoot, I’ve shared some photos I took at Fallingbrook Park below
Hydro Corridor Trail
This is the longest trail in Whitby. It extends between multiple major intersections and neighbourhoods, ending its trail at Longwood park. But today we begin and end our trail from Dryden through to Rossland. Although I will be covering a short area of its actual distance, there is still so many pockets of picturesque spots that are worthy of attention.
Image courtesy of Whitby.ca
We’re starting our journey at Dryden. From here you can choose to go either right or left. Both of which travel to a busy intersection but along the way, you will find many photo opportunities. Today I’ve chosen to go right towards Rossland. This area has a bridge that crosses over a small rocky area with water flowing through it. It’s beautiful in the summer and magical in the fall time. For the most part, it’s not a busy area so if you wanted to take a pictures of friends or family, or even of yourself, you’d be mostly uninterrupted.
This trail includes a pathway which is shared with all types of pedestrians (bikers, runners, skateboards, etc). Just be mindful that if you’re using the path consider that pedestrians might enter into your shot accidentally. It’s important to remember to respect the privacy of others and only take pictures of your clients or of yourself.
The hydro corridor is open to the public 7 days a week, 24 hours a day. You can visit all throughout the year and enjoy it in all its seasons. My personal favourite is in the summertime when the leaves are lush, the grass is green and flowers have begun to grow. During summer, I especially love golden hour - the way it pierces through the hydro lines and structure. Stunning. Also included as a favourite is visiting in the fall time when the leaves have begun changing colours. It adds so much dimension to an image. I just wish it didn’t have to be cold when taking the picture!
Below, I’ve included photographs of the hydro corridor trail. You will get a better idea of how the area looks and can begin to imagine your future photoshoot here. There is much to like about this place and I don’t think you will be disappointed in the portraits you’ll end up capturing.
