Digital, 2022.
A group of birds resting and enjoying the afternoon sun on a chilly afternoon by Lake Ontario.
Buy prints and merchandise here!
Follow me on Instagram!
Buy my stock images on Shutterstock, iStock by Getty Images, and Alamy!
Digital, 2022.
A sunny, winter day spent by the lake at Humber Bay Park. Usually, I’m not a fan of sunny days for photography as the lighting can wash objects out and cast harsh shadows. But on this day, the sunlight turned the lake a gorgeous shade of blue and I loved the backdrop the clear, blue sky provided.
Buy prints and merchandise here!
Follow me on Instagram!
Buy my stock images on Shutterstock, iStock by Getty Images, and Alamy!
Digital, 2022.
If you read my previous post, I mentioned that my next would contain the sunset from that same evening. What I was expecting was definitely not a sunset this vibrant. I ended up shooting these photos at another spot a little ways off. To get down to the shore to achieve that, I had to go down a steep and snowy hill. I’m so glad I wasn’t alone as that made the trek easier lest I fall on my face into the snow.
When I looked up at the landscape before me, I felt like the main character in a movie. It was so unreal, I couldn’t believe it. I was also really relieved I had this vantage point, as I wouldn’t have been able to see the sunset in its entirety like this had I stayed in my original spot. Shout out to my brother who found this area while I stayed to take photos in the other one!
When the swans came out to play, I couldn’t help the smile that spread across my face. A vibrant sunset and two swans playing around in the lake? How lucky was I? I really wanted to get a photo of the both of them above the water but it’s almost as if they were teasing me. When one would resurface, the other would lower its head into the water. After a while, the sunset faded enough that there was no point in waiting any longer. But even so, I was far from disappointed!
Buy prints and merchandise here!
Follow me on Instagram!
Buy my stock images on Shutterstock, iStock by Getty Images, and Alamy!
Digital, 2022.
This spot has very quickly become one of my favourite photo taking spots. When we visited the day before, sand on the beach was still visible. There were a few branches by the shore that were covered in layers of ice, but as far as the landscape looking like a scene out of a winter wonderland, that wasn’t the case. I was in shock at how quickly everything froze over the next day. The water closest to the shore was frozen and just past that, small chunks of ice were floating in the water. If one listened closely, they would be able to hear the tinkling sounds of the ice pieces colliding with one another. The waves almost resembled slush as there was so much ice.
On the beach, there were thin shards of ice everywhere. It was so beautiful and I’ve never seen anything like it. The ice was so blue and so clear that if I didn’t know any better, I would have thought they were big pieces of beach glass.
Buy prints and merchandise here!
Follow me on Instagram!
Buy my stock images on Shutterstock, iStock by Getty Images, and Alamy!
Digital, 2022.
A snow covered Cherry Beach during winter. I know that it’s always colder by the lake and yet I’m always shocked when it is. I’m so glad I brought my tripod with me as I could warm my hands instead of constantly holding onto my camera.
Buy prints and merchandise here!
Follow me on Instagram!
Buy my stock images on Shutterstock, iStock by Getty Images, and Alamy!
Digital, 2021.
Toronto welcomed its first snowfall all the way back in November 2021. After taking some photos at the local park, we decided to head off to Evergreen Brickworks as the winter scenery is always gorgeous there. I’m always thankful that my love of photography brings me to these beautiful spaces.
Buy prints and merchandise here!
Follow me on Instagram!
Buy my stock images on Shutterstock, iStock by Getty Images, and Alamy!
Digital, 2021.
Toronto welcomed its first snowfall all the way back in November 2021. What a shock it was, waking up and seeing the world covered in a thick blanket of white. I automatically grabbed my camera and headed off to the park in hopes I would catch some pretty, wintery photos.
Buy prints and merchandise here!
Follow me on Instagram!
Buy my stock images on Shutterstock, iStock by Getty Images, and Alamy!
Digital, 2021.
Evergreen Brickworks is hands down one of my favourite places to visit during autumn. Our first visit of the autumn season was on Halloween day. We were here on Halloween of last year as well. While I was able to capture some gorgeous scenes both times, it was interesting to see the difference. The leaves were a lot farther along in their transformations last year, for sure. We only visited on Halloween this year since any time before then, the leaves were still green. Last year, Halloween was our second visit of the season and many of the trees were looking a little bare by that point.
We climbed up the steep hill here for the first time and the view from up top was so beautiful. I’ve never gotten photos like that before and I’m so happy I was able to see that view with my own eyes. As much as I love the other seasons, autumn is my favourite to photograph. Which is ironic as I despise the shorter days and the sunsets that occur earlier and earlier during this time.
Buy prints and merchandise here!
Follow me on Instagram!
Buy my stock images on Shutterstock, iStock by Getty Images, and Alamy!
Digital, 2021.
Hello Niagara-on-the-Lake, it’s been a while! This small town is one of my favourite places due to how quiet and quaint it is. It had been a while since we last visited so we decided to head down one weekend. It’s hard to believe these photos were taken in late October. In previous years, red and orange leaves were already in full swing everywhere. This year, it has been unseasonably warm which has prolonged the green leaves of summer. The nature lover in me is ecstatic she could finally capture a people-less photo of the gazebo but the fall foliage lover in me is disappointed she couldn’t take autumn versions of these photos. I thought back to the reds and oranges filling up my phone’s camera roll during October of last year and couldn’t help but feel disappointed. I knew eventually that the weather would cool down and that we would get red leaves but it’s very concerning that it had taken so long.
Buy prints and merchandise here!
Follow me on Instagram!
Buy my stock images on Shutterstock, iStock by Getty Images, and Alamy!
Digital, 2021.
You can only imagine my amazement once I stepped on to the beach here not expecting much only to be greeted with this view. The skyline is lit up by the city lights, yes, but the majority of that golden light came from the last remaining glow of sunset. What a sight to see in person! I also adored the way the clouds were reflected against the lake’s surface and how beautiful they were lit up.
I don’t usually experiment with long exposures but seeing how lovely these came out makes me want to reconsider. I initially took my shots without a tripod and didn’t really like how they were turning out. I was running out of time and considered it a lost cause. Luckily, my brother was determined to get a shot and he ran to the car to grab the tripod. Great intuition on his part as these images wouldn’t exist otherwise. It’s been so long since I’ve taken a nighttime city shot and now I’m motivated to try and take more!
Buy prints and merchandise here!
Follow me on Instagram!
Buy my stock images on Shutterstock, iStock by Getty Images, and Alamy!
Gina Staios Photography 