As a Toronto family portrait photographer, I have unique opportunities to capture incredible expressions of kids and their families in the city's diverse locations. From parks to heritage sites to hidden neighborhood gems, the city provides endless backdrops for editorial-style family photography that documents both formal portraits and authentic play.
In my children's photography gallery, I have many photographs of kids smiling and laughing—the joy is infectious. This image of two sisters playing hide-and-seek perfectly illustrates why child photography is not just about posing, but about spreading smiles and laughter. They're doing a lousy job hiding and laughing at themselves, while their parents watch—also laughing. Everyone is in on the joke.
This is about creating scenarios within which photographic opportunities naturally happen. Rather than demanding "smile at the camera," I suggested hide-and-seek. The game provided structure, their terrible execution provided comedy, and the resulting laughter was completely genuine. This approach yields editorial-quality candid images that reveal personality and family dynamic.
I've been photographing kids and families professionally for over 20 years, and I know success requires balance between 'asked for' portraits and candid play photographs. What is 'family photography' after all? Is it just everyone smiling at the camera? Does it show each family member's personality? Usually not. That's why balance matters—formal portraits fulfill one need, playful candids fulfill another, and together they tell complete stories.
Sometimes I only need a small part of a large area to make a special portrait. This image uses one tiny section of Wychwood Barns in the St. Clair and Bathurst area. The historic brick wall and doorway provided beautiful texture and framing, but the real magic came from what happened within that small space—two sisters failing spectacularly and joyfully at their hiding attempt.
Wychwood Barns offers wonderful opportunities for Toronto family photography: historic architecture, interesting textures, urban character, and enough variety for both formal portraits and active play. It's the kind of location that works editorially—visually distinctive without overwhelming the subjects, providing context without distraction.
The laughter in this image is contagious. Viewers smile looking at it because genuine joy translates through photography. This is why candid play images matter—they capture emotional truth that posed portraits, no matter how beautiful, cannot fully convey. Editorial family photography values both: the beauty of formal composition and the authenticity of unguarded moments.
Complete family photography shows each member's personality, captures relationship dynamics, documents both how you look and how you interact. It requires both asking families to gather formally and creating opportunities for them to play naturally. The hide-and-seek game, the terrible hiding, the shared laughter—these reveal this family's warmth and humor in ways a traditional portrait lineup never could.
Location: Wychwood Barns, 76 Wychwood Ave, Toronto, ON M6G 2X7.
Keywords: family (58), kids (42), outdoor (58), park (4), portrait (81).