Golden Hour in the City: Exclusive Urban Dog Photography Sessions in Toronto
Toronto is a city of textures, stories, and light—and when it comes to capturing dogs in this vibrant urban landscape, timing is everything. That’s why, just five times a year, I offer something truly special: my exclusive Urban Photography Sessions at sunrise. These 2-hour sessions take place during the most magical light of the day. While the city is still waking up, the streets are quiet, the skyline is glowing, and the architecture is bathed in soft, golden light. It’s the perfect canvas for unforgettable portraits of your dog.
What Makes These Sessions Special?
The Golden Hour Advantage - Photographing at sunrise means we avoid harsh shadows and busy sidewalks. Instead, your dog is photographed in soft, flattering light that gives every image a dreamy, cinematic quality. Being downtown at this time of day is also much easier and more enjoyable for your dog.
Iconic and Hidden Urban Backdrops - From quiet laneways to striking architectural lines and iconic landmarks, each session includes a wide variety of backdrops. The result? A diverse gallery of images that blend art with editorial style.
Tailored Experience - You will have a full design consultation appointment with Jack prior to the urban session to ensure the best possible results and artwork.
Only 5 Sessions Per Year - I keep these sessions extremely limited to ensure the highest level of attention and artistry for each client.
Who Are These Sessions For? Urban sessions are ideal for dog lovers who want something truly one-of-a-kind. They’re perfect if:
You love Toronto and your dog!
You appreciate clean and modern portraits
You want to document your dog in a way that’s unique, artistic and timeless
You have a small to medium size dog
Let’s Create Something Stunning These sessions book very quickly. If you’ve been looking for a fresh, elevated way to celebrate your dog, this is your moment. Toronto’s urban landscape is stunning—especially when your dog is the star of the show. To reserve one of the five urban sessions this year contact us here or call the studio on 416 871 3425 and don’t forget to follow us on instagram.
Thank you so much for trusting me with your dog! We are so lucky to have dogs in our lives - they are family and I treat them as such. This session is all about you and your dog(s) and how much you love them. I have over ten years experience working with and photographing dogs so you can simply relax and enjoy watching your dog being a model! if I need you to help in any way I will ask you. We are not looking for perfection from the dogs - we want them to be dogs, we want their personality to shine through, for them to have fun and to just be themselves.
What can I do to help? The only thing I need you to do is bring some extremely high value treats. I will have some treats in studio, but I always like my clients to bring their dog’s favourite treats. If your dog has a favourite toy, please feel free to bring that too. Other than that, you can leave everything to me!
Grooming
If your dog is regularly groomed, it would be great timing to book a groom prior to your session shoot. A quick nail trim also looks great.
Collar Please bring a collar for the photo session just in case we need to do some shots on leash. Mostly however we will be shooting ‘naked’. We may leash your dog at times during the session and the leash is simply edited out in post production.
Want to be included in an image? I always encourage women to have their photo taken with their dog during my sessions. I love capturing the connection between a dog and its person, but I also believe that women still aren’t celebrated enough, seen enough, heard enough, thanked enough or encouraged enough. If you and/or your family would like to be included in some images with your dog, please give some thought to what you are wearing. Choose outfits that make you feel like your best self. It can be a nice touch to wear something that subtly connects you to your dog - If your dog has blue eyes, you could wear something that features a hint of blue too. We are looking for slightly elevated everyday looks. We want you to feel confident, comfortable and happy in your skin while looking your best. It would be great to treat yourself as much as you do your dog by getting a manicure or that new outfit that you’ve been thinking about!
Can I bring any props? Absolutely! If you have a small dog, a vintage or stylish bag can look stunning as can a lovely soft scarf. Have awesome shoes - bring those - high heels, big badass boots, whatever your absolute favourite are. Want to bring an outfit for your dog - go ahead - the only thing I’d ask is that it’s crease free. If there’s anything you’d like to include that you’re not sure about, always feel free to reach out to ask Jack.
The day of your session. Please arrive no later than the agreed time. Due to my schedule, we cannot start the session if you are more than 15 minutes late. Artwork Have a think about how you might like to display your images. Clients typically invest in a combination of wall art, prints, folio boxes and digital files. Samples will be on display for you in the studio! Behind the scenes At any point during the session, if you wanted to take any behind the scenes photos or video we always welcome any footage you can send or tag us in! Thank you For trusting me to photograph your family! Dogs are perfect, they bring so much happiness into our lives and they deserve to be celebrated!
Exciting News Alert!!! We’re really proud to announce that we partnered with Toronto Humane Society for Trans Day of Visibility this year. We’ve highlighted 2 local trans people and their rescue dogs on a huge window display at Toronto Humane Society along with a full photo and storytelling exhibit about the transformations that take place when 2SLGBTQ people and their rescue dogs receive love. The exhibit is on display inside Toronto Humane Society until 14 April so be sure to head on down there and check it out.
And some more good news….. Jack is offering dog photo session prizes to select dogs in the GTA of all ages, from junior to senior and everydoggo in between with 5% from every sale of wall art, products or digital files from these sessions being donated to Toronto Humane Society. Let’s share this far and wide, raise some money for a good cause, and have your dog look like a rockstar in the process ❤️🐾.
To enter, just fill out this form! Each prize is valid for one dog and includes a 2 hour outdoor photography session with Jack Jackson Dog Photography plus a $50 print credit for the purchase of prints, digital files or wall art after the session. 5% from every sale of wall art, products or digital files from these sessions will be donated to Toronto Humane Society.
Winners can schedule their session anytime during 2023 and the total prize value is $225. Hurry - entries close 11:59pm EDT April 14. Winners will be notified via phone by April 23, 2023.
Prizes will be awarded to Ontario residents only, as photo shoots are conducted at Cherry Beach, Ashbridges Bay or Windfields Park in Toronto. Good luck!
Check out the video to find out more about Jack’s project work and to receive a cuteness overload.❤️🐾🌈📸
