About Toronto Photo Walks

Toronto Photo Walks (TOPW) is a group of photographers with a wide range of abilities (from accomplished photographers to those just starting out) who get together to make pictures in and around Toronto. The group is open to anyone who wants to get out and about, see more of the city with photographers of all levels of experience & ability, to shoot together, to share hints, tips and ideas … and it’s free! :)

TOPW History

The first sighting of Toronto Photo Walks was as a Facebook group in November 2009, closely followed by a Flickr group and this website. It came about after a few photo walks that I (Paul Henman) had organised with friends, accompanied by a few prompts from them to do something “more formal” … but I don’t really do formal, so this is what you get instead :)

The first “official” TOPW walk was Toronto Necropolis & Riverdale Farm on November 14th. There were nine of us, but the numbers grew with each new walk through the winter, even though some walks were in the bitter cold (so cold that one camera eventually refused to work until it warmed up over dim sum!).

The TOPW group

The aim of TOPW is to give photographers of all abilities a chance to meet, share tips, learn from each other, and discover more of Toronto and its environs. It’s not a “formal” camera club; there’s no stuffy critique of each other’s photos, although it is great to see everyone’s pictures and many people like to receive feedback.

There’s no formal membership list, although most people join the Flickr and/or Facebook groups in order to get automatically informed about updates. There’s no minimum standard of photographic skill or equipment required – you’re welcome even if you’ve just got your first “point & shoot” camera and haven’t even read the manual yet!

Our Photo Walks

Usually within a few days of a walk I post a poll on the website with a few alternative locations for the next walk; everyone can vote for their favourite(s), then about a week before the walk I close the poll and announce the winning location. The start point for the walk is usually posted a couple of days before the walk – I try to find somewhere TTC-accessible to meet, somewhere for lunch (if it’s an all-day walk) and a pub for the end.

The routes are roughly planned out – partly to ensure we find a lunch stop and/or post-walk pubs, but also because people join the walk at different times of the day – but the route can change if the group spots something interesting; sometimes small groups split off and meet up with the rest of us later on; it’s all very “loose”.

Sign Up Now!

  1. Send a cheque for $100 to … no, wait – it’s free!
  2. Join the Flickr and/or Facebook groups to be automatically informed about updates, or just check the website to see what’s new.
  3. Put the date of the next photo walk in your diary; remember to charge your camera’s battery and check everything’s working!
    New: we have a Google calendar which you can import automagically!
  4. Turn up, meet the other photo walkers and have fun!


About The Founder

Paul Henman is the founder and main organiser of Toronto Photo Walks. Being both a keen photographer and walker, it made sense to put the two things together and then invite some friends along to share the fun. (I also shoot for the Ontario Walks and Toronto Trails walking groups.)

With an IT background as a software developer and project manager, organising TOPW and creating the various online communities were natural steps in building the Toronto Photo Walks group; the ongoing challenge is to produce some good photographs! :)

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