Golden Hour at the Scarborough Bluffs: A Maternity Session
There's a stretch of about forty minutes at the Scarborough Bluffs, right at the end of the day, when the light comes low across Lake Ontario and the sandstone cliffs go warm behind you. The beach empties out. The water goes flat.
If you're expecting, that's the hour I want you there.
Here is a beautiful maternity session, photographed on the beach below the Bluffs a few weeks before their baby arrived. I'm Jo of Jo Anto Photography, a documentary photographer in Toronto.
Why the Scarborough Bluffs Suits Maternity Photos
I shoot a lot of maternity sessions, and the Bluffs has become the place I suggest most often. A few reasons:
The scale does something for the photographs. Two-hundred-foot cliffs behind a couple make the frame feel significant, which fits what this stage of life actually feels like
Golden hour lasts properly here. The beach faces the lake, so you get low warm light across open water instead of it disappearing behind buildings
It's calm and unhurried. Late in the day the beach thins out. That matters when you're pregnant and would rather not perform in front of an audience
Sand, stones, driftwood and water give texture. Bare feet, a stone picked up and turned over, waves at the edge of the frame. Small details that make a gallery feel like a place rather than a backdrop
You can do a lot without walking far. Cliffs, open beach, shoreline and treeline all sit within a short stretch, which matters in the third trimester
How the Evening Went
We started up near the cliff face while the light was still high, walking, mostly. That's how I like to begin: no posing, just the two of them moving together until they forget I'm there.
They'd brought a blanket, a bowl of apples, some yellow flowers and their ultrasound photos. We laid it out on the sand and they sat with it a while, laughing at things I wasn't part of. There's a frame of the two of them holding the ultrasound up between them against the water that I think will end up on a wall.
As the sun dropped we moved down to the shoreline. He knelt on the sand to kiss the bump. She stood at the edge of the water with her arms out and her dress moving, and for a moment the whole beach was empty behind her.
We finished in silhouette, the two of them against the last of the light on the lake.
How I Photograph Maternity Sessions
Documentary doesn't mean I leave you standing there wondering what to do. It means I'd rather set something in motion than arrange you.
So I'll get you walking, talking, holding each other, and then I get out of the way. Bringing something of your own helps enormously — the ultrasound photos, the blanket, the flowers. It gives your hands something to do and gives me something true to photograph.
I'm recognized by Fearless Photographers and the WPJA for documentary work, and this is what that means for a maternity session: fewer instructions, more of the two of you.
Planning Your Own Bluffs Maternity Session
Book the last ninety minutes of daylight. This is the whole reason to shoot here. Midday is harsh and the beach is crowded
Go between 28 and 34 weeks. You're clearly showing but still comfortable walking on sand. Later than that and stairs and uneven ground get harder
There are stairs down to the beach. Take it slowly, and bring sandals you can slip off
Flowing fabrics photograph beautifully in the wind here. Soft neutrals, creams, florals. There is almost always a breeze off the lake
Bring your ultrasound photos, and something of your own. A blanket, flowers, the baby's first pair of shoes
Late summer and early autumn are ideal. Warm water light, softer evenings, fewer people than July
Have a wet-weather plan. It's an open beach with no shelter
Frequently Asked Questions
-
Bluffer's Park in Scarborough, on Lake Ontario in Toronto's east end. There's parking by the marina and the beach sits directly below the cliffs.
-
The last ninety minutes before sunset, ideally between 28 and 34 weeks of pregnancy.
-
Flowing fabrics that catch the wind, in soft neutrals, creams or florals. Fitted through the bump so the shape reads clearly. Bring a second option if you'd like a change.
-
There are stairs down to the beach and the ground is sand and stone, so wear sensible footwear and allow extra time. Once you're down, everything we need is within a short walk.
-
Yes. Many couples book maternity and newborn photography together, and I also photograph families at the same beach.
-
Across the city and the GTA, including Guild Park and other Bluffs locations. See my maternity photography page and the full Scarborough Bluffs photo session gallery.
Book a Maternity Session at the Bluffs
If you're expecting and the idea of an evening on a quiet beach under the cliffs sounds right, I'd love to photograph it. Late summer and early autumn evenings book up first.
Tell me your due date and I'll suggest the best window.