"Where In Ottawa" is a blog series featuring the best locations to have your wedding or engagement photos taken. For each post of this series, we will pick a spot in Ottawa, outline some of the highlights and challenges using the location, and show some photos we have taken for inspiration!
The ByWard Market is near and dear to so many Ottawans' heart. It is at the center of the city, and as such, many events and activities are hosted there. It houses so many unique shops, boutiques, and restaurants. There is literally a place for everyone at the Market. Do you want to go to a fancy restaurant? Just take your pick along York Street. Do you want to "escape" a room with friends? You got Escape Manor right there. Do you want fantastic gelato, even in the dead of winter? Stop by Mantovani on Murray Street. The point is that we love the ByWard market because there is always something going on there, it is never dull. So, why have your engagement or wedding photos taken there? Here are some good reasons why!
The good.
1. Urban Feel
The ByWard Market is fantastic if you want an urban look and feel to your photos! The Ottawa skyline can provide you with a stunning backdrop, especially if you and your fiance(e) like strong, clean, architectural lines incorporated into your photos. While the ByWard Market has a city-dweller feel to it, we like to suggest it as an engagement session location to our couples as it can provide a nice contrast to weddings that will take place in a barn or country-side setting.
2. Lots of alleys and courtyards.
What we love about the ByWard Market the most is the number of amazing alleyways and beautiful courtyards that can be used as backdrops for wedding or engagement sessions. These alleys and courtyards provide a convenient shelter from the hustle and bustle of the main market street itself. Because tall buildings usually flank these little nooks and crannies, using them is a fantastic way for us to hide our couples from the harshness of the mid-day sun (no harsh shadows on the face, yay!). Let us not forget that there are so many wall-textures and artwork that usually lineup the Market walls throughout the year that you will never take the same photos, ever!
3. Lends well to activities.
We always suggest to our couples that engaging in an activity during their photo session is better for authenticity than just posing in front of the camera. The ByWard Market lends perfectly well to many fun activities that you can use as setting for your photo session. Our couples have asked us to take photos of them having coffee or beer, walking the dog, or eating ice-cream! If you want to capture yourselves just having light-hearted fun on the weekend, then the ByWard Market is a perfect place for an engagement session.
The not so good.
1. Pedestrians everywhere.
Pedestrians in your engagement or wedding photos is a problem that you might encounter in many urban locations in Ottawa, but especially so in the ByWard Market. Afterall, it is probably the busiest place in the city! If you and your SO consider yourselves to be shy people, being photographed in front of so many people can definitely be nerve-racking. If it is for your engagement session, think of it as a trial run for your wedding, where you will be the center of attention! :D
2. Distracting elements.
The one thing that we absolutely hate about the ByWard Market is the amount of distracting signs. Traffic signs, restaurant signs, advertisements everywhere. While purposefully incorporating them in wedding or engagement photos can be fun, it can definitely ruin an otherwise good shot. For this though, you will have to rely on your photographer to ensure that no distracting elements are accidentally included in your photos. If for whatever reason a stop sign is glaringly located in your backdrop, we usually photoshop it out! :D