I’ve never fancied cities. Found them too loud, too busy, too many people. And yet, recently I have come to find myself in Toronto, not once, but twice within a three month span. Prior to my visit in November, it had been 28 years since my last visit to Toronto. A brief escape to the big city to see Phantom of the Opera at the Pantages Theatre. I knew immediately I didn’t belong here and Toronto would be a lovely place to visit once in a while.

But something happened during my last visit. Maybe it was the pre-Christmas festivities; maybe it was the snow, lightly falling, or perhaps the Christmas lights, the tree lights in Dundas square, the Christmas music playing. I don’t know what it was but it captured a piece of my heart, a little bit of my soul and definitely the artist within. I couldn’t get enough of it. My room in the Bond Place Hotel overlooked Dundas street and all those lights. I was enamoured and captivated. I couldn’t take my eyes off the view before me. The snow turned to rain but it made it even more magical and I found myself taking pictures of everything. I haven’t posted those pictures yet but will.

The photos here are from my most recent trip in February 2018. I heard Massey Hall will be closing for renos and desperately wanted to visit before it closed. After a quick scroll through upcoming concerts I saw Alan Doyle’s name and booked my ticket!

Massey Hall lived up to it’s reputation. But Toronto stole the show, once again.

I love night shooting but I’m an early to bed, early to rise kinda gal so find it difficult staying up late. So was happy to wake up to a dark, rainy morning. The sky still dark from the early morning, made darker by the grey overcast and rain. I quickly dressed, grabbed my camera and off I went to explore the sleepy streets of Toronto.

Best thing about shooting early on a weekend morning: little to no traffic – foot or vehicle. I was able to get a few awesome shots and am very pleased with the results.

What is your favourite time to shoot?