The 8 Best Fine Art Photographers Toronto

On the lookout for the best Toronto fine art photographers? We get it! At Peerspace, we work with professional photographers daily, helping them secure one-of-a-kind creative spaces for their projects. Our platform is the largest online marketplace for hourly venue rentals, with hundreds in the GTA alone. Consider us your go-to when you want to book a special space for your creative and personal endeavors, be it a hard loft, a rustic cabin, a renovated warehouse, or a gallery.

Now, let’s get back to the topic at hand! When the medium of photography was first developing, it was seen as scientific and mechanical, alien entirely from the realm of art. Imagine the surprise of early camera users if they could hear the phrase “fine art photography” as we use it today! As society began to see the camera as a tool for artists to depict and manipulate the space around them, a whole world of expression emerged. Rather than simply snap whatever appears before the camera, fine art photography is about capturing art through the lens. These Toronto fine art photographers are among our favorite creatives.

1. Heidi Leverty

Heidi Leverty was born in Italy, is a graduate of the Ontario College of Art, and one of the most dedicated of all the Toronto fine art photographers. In fact, she spends hours — even days — carefully crafting each photograph that she envisions in her mind. She works primarily in digital now, but her background involves mastering large-format field cameras and developing her photos in her own darkroom.

Heidi’s work is a delight for the senses: tactile textures, vibrant colors, mesmerizing patterns, and macro abstractions which have us re-evaluating items around us. She also shares a mix of soothing landscapes that allow our eyes to relax with the scenery. Heidi’s work is celebrated globally and displayed in galleries, private collections, and even embassies across the world.

2. André Sousa

André Sousa is a talented Toronto fine art photographer focusing on the beauty of nature. From stark desert scenes to the lush forest floor and long exposures of woodland waterfalls, André captures the magic of environment around him. His wife and young daughter often show up in the photos as the little family traipses around Canada and the world.

We especially love the cool, misty Canadian scenes from André’s own backyard, so to speak, with romantic rocky shorelines adorned by evergreens, and a shock of autumnal color in a rain-drenched forest.

3. Jackson Carvalho

Jackson Carvalho was born in Brazil and boasts a long and impressive history of international awards and exhibitions. He also has one of the most powerful portfolios we’ve seen yet. He molds the human form into fantastical, almost grotesque shapes. Jackson punctuates his work with dramatic lighting, illuminating only that he wishes to be seen, and plunging the rest into inky darkness.

We also love his bizarre abstract creations, like an egg cracking to reveal an enlarged human eye. Images like the simplicity of a single building plucked from the Toronto skyline remind us of his urban lifestyle. If that’s not enough, his powerful photos of safari lions take our breath away with the calm ferocity behind hooded eyes.

4. Barbara Cole

Barbara Cole is an extremely talented Toronto fine art photographer with exhibitions at Canadian embassies in Tokyo and Washington, D.C.! She prefers to use a “raw, hands-on photographic process,” staying away from automatic cameras and keeping it retro with film and a dark room.

Her extraordinary style is best appreciated through her underwater studio. Here, she captures ethereal images of contorting bodies and gossamer fabric suspended in time and space. The focus makes each photograph feel close enough to touch, but never within reach. Check out Barbara’s website to view her portfolio and to take a virtual tour through select work.

5. John Kosmopoulos

John Kosmopoulos has been featured in galleries across the world, including the Louvre in Paris. He grabs our attention with his amazing infrared photographs, which transform a normal landscape into an otherworldly vista brushed with pink. Aptly, he calls these photographs the “Earth-Mars Series,” and we truly feel transported to another planet through these eye-catching images. Icelandic ponies, groomed Parisian gardens, and still waters in the canals of Amsterdam all feature in Kosmopoulos’s brilliant portfolio. John also holds private and small-group fine art photography workshops. Be sure to sign up if you want to learn from one of the modern masters.

6. Brian Carson

Shooting mostly in black-and-white, Brian Carson calls himself merely a student of the photographic arts. However, this Toronto-based artist and photographer is definitely a master in our opinion. Brilliant urban moments are captured effortlessly as Brian moves through the streets of Toronto. We also appreciate how he plays with shadow to emphasize the beauty of an urban landscape. Brian’s work guides our eye to the subtle movement of a human form or the rolling clouds of a forthcoming storm. It’s no wonder he’s among the top Toronto fine art photographers.

7. Kristin Sjaarda

Kristin Sjaarda is a still life photographer who captures exquisite floral arrangements with a delicate, natural grace. Her work is reminiscent of Georgia O’Keefe, had she picked up a camera instead of a paint brush. Supple swirls of opal, saffron, lilac, lapis blue, and dusty pink fill every corner of the canvas. This style turns the simple form of a flower into magnificent grandeur.

It probably comes as no surprise that Kristin uses these flower shapes to design her own line of silk scarves. She also teaches workshops to lucky budding photographers on the use of natural light and floral arrangements in photography. Kristin takes inspiration from paintings of the Dutch golden age, and her painting-like photographs are a testament to her artistic eye. Her recent work also focuses on the plight of bird species, a reflection of our abuse of the Earth and its species.

As Kristin explains: “This focus on local flora and fauna and its perservation is a pertinent one as climate change and urban sprawl threaten bird species everywhere — making it a subject of both national and international discussion. By using modern photography that echoes a historic style of painting, I am matching a contemporary technique to a critical contemporary concern. My goal is to hook viewers with a compelling, dynamic image that tells a story about our relationship to nature in the city.”

8. Alice Zilberberg

Alice Zilberberg is an artist who truly combines the medium of art and photography into one practice. She travels around the world recording interesting backgrounds, figures, shapes, and other elements through the lens of her camera. She then meticulously combines them at home into a single photo manipulation that takes months to finalize.

Through Alice’s images, she explores themes of the human condition, emotional intelligence, and personal identification. In fact, the interest in her artwork has garnered her galleries across North America, Europe, and Asia. As a viewer, we enjoy Alice’s travels, drinking in photographs of polar bears, bison, flamingos, and giraffes, to name a few.

Bonus: Bruna Rico

Bruna Rico is a celebrated Toronto portrait artist whose work falls into the fine art genre. We especially applaud her maternity portraits, which show glowing mothers-to-be in all their Venus-like beauty. Bruna also explores professional branding and personal boudoir genres, both of which emphasize her goal of celebrating her subject’s innate humanity. She also creates customized photoshoots tailored to you and your needs. If you’re interested in becoming a fine art muse yourself, work with Bruna.

Peerspace loves Toronto fine art photographers

A talented photographer can catch the slightest moment and transform it into a stunning work of art. And these talented Toronto fine art photographers are some of the best. From stark black and white to delicate and whimsical, these artists bend the fabric of the world around them into award-winning photographs worthy of any gallery hall or exhibition.

Whether you’re a Toronto photographer or someone on the other end of the lens, check out Peerspace. We have hundreds of incredible venues throughout Toronto that you can book by the hour. These distinct, hidden gem venues can serve as a backdrop to your work, a collaboration venue, an exhibit space, or whatever else you need.

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