Photo locations around Winnipeg for Portraits and Weddings
Winnipeg has lots of great photo locations for portrait sessions, engagement and weddings. Here is a list I recommend and share with my clients.
Indoor- for those unique locations when it rains or shines.
Hamilton Building: ($) – The place with the beautiful spiral staircase. White winding staircase with beautiful big windows is a great setting for romantic photos. This is quite the popular place for weddings.
Contact/ Booking Info: Dave at 947-5934
Hydro Building ($) – A very popular indoor location located in heart of downtown with a modern look, wall waterfall, couches, chairs and large windows. This is a great spot in case it rains on your wedding day.
Contact: Gail Mistafa at 360-3230
Millenium Centre ($) – Located on Main St next to Hamilton Building. It features big windows, staircase, large room upstairs and yes a jail cell in the basement. This is also a great venue for weddings.
Via Rail Union Station – Winnipeg’s train station features large dome, marble floor, staircase and big window. Need to sign a release for photos in order to get to the second floor.
Red River College Princess campus: ($) A really modern/architectural location. It has many walk ways with steel and beautiful brick as background.
Kings Head Pub: The old pub atmosphere and of course the lure of a good beer make it a quick stop to have a drink and shoot a few pics on your wedding day.
Aviation museum :($) A collection of planes and aviation history awaits you indoors and out.
To book email events@wcam.mb.ca
Outdoor Locations
Fort Gibraltar: ($) A very special location within Winnipeg, this is a huge historic wood fort/park. They also include re-enactors on demand as well as outdoor event tents. It’s quite busy during summer months for weddings as well as family and corporate events.
Manitoba Legislature & grounds: You have to book in advance for indoor grand staircase but everything else inside and on the grounds outside is free as long as the time slot is open.
Reservations for Wedding Photos: (204)945-5813
The Forks: The Forks is a historic site, meeting place and green space in Downtown Winnipeg located at the confluence of the Red River and Assiniboine River. There are several areas around the Forks with modern/architectural feel. The central location with a lot of variety is very popular and very visually appealing to shoot: The Aboriginal sharing circle, the pedestrian bridges, directly in the market area and all along the waterfront are just some of the nicer locations. During winter a skating trail on the Red River is quite the attraction.
Forks and St Boniface river walk: This area, stretching from the Legislature all the way down to the Forks and over the Provencher Bridge and into St Boniface provides a huge length of waterfront area to shoot in. All of this is on or by the river and is perfect for engagement or portraiture.
Provencher Bridge/Esplanade Riel: This bridge, creating a link between St Boniface and downtown is one of the most photographed landmarks in Winnipeg. The whole area around it is public so no reservation needed. The new Human Rights Museum is nearby and looks great as a background especially during a sunset.
St Boniface dock: A small dock used for water taxis this is one of the best locations to shoot the Provencher Bridge/Esplanade Riel from at any time of the night or day. This area is located on Taché avenue, just in front of the St Boniface Cathedral.
St Boniface Cathedral:($) In walking distance of the Provencher bridge, this century old church burnt down in the 50s, leaving a beautiful shell with a completely nonexistent roof. You need to book to shoot inside our out and there is also a cost to shoot both. It’s quite busy during summer months.
The Exchange district – East Side: A great location with many back lanes, infamous “purple wall”, “green loading doors”, “glass blocks” and many other interesting looking doors and back lanes. It is also is very close to the Steven Juba Park which is alternative for getting two styles all at the same time.
The Exchange district – West Side: The Exchange District is filled with over 140 historic buildings and structures. Part of downtown, this area has a 1920’s Chicago look to it and has actually doubled as Chicago in several movies. It is also located around “Old Market Square” which hosts daily lunch concerts during the summer. This is where the Cube stage is located. The most popular areas to shoot in are near Albert Street or Arthur Street. In Addition there are loading docks, fire escapes, tunnels, graffiti, cobblestone roads, brightly painted doors. There never seems to be an abundance of sun, in fact there is lots of shade, almost always a guarantee for fantastic photos.
Assiniboine Park: ($) Largest park in Winnipeg with tons of greenery, conservatory, nature playground, steam train, Qualico family centre and more.The park also includes indoor locations which can be booked at a price to ensure a location in case of bad weather. The indoor locations are the conservatory and the Leo Mol garden (indoor sculpture area). Its quite popular amongst my clients for engagement sessions.
St. Vital Park has an unfenced duck pond and also many smaller flower gardens, roadways.
Kildonan Park includes “Rainbow Stage” Canada’s longest surviving outdoor theatre. Many big trees, several walkways along the river side with benches are great for photo sessions, in the fall time the background looks amazing especially for family photos.
King’s Park Located on Kings Drive in Fort Richmond, this park has lots of scenic areas to boast about. Red Bridges, a Chinese Rock Garden, a Bogota, ponds and hills are some of the picturesque views.
Kilcona Park: Beautiful quiet park that’s also known as a dog park contains a bridge with a big pond and quite a bit of foliage.
Fort Whyte Alive: Although renowned for its nature, education and environment this location is also spectacular to book for weddings and portrait shoots.
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
Most of the golf courses and country clubs especially those just out of town host weddings and allow for photos to be taken. Some of these include:
Bel Acres Golf and Country Club,
Bridges Golf Course. Short drive South West of Winnipeg.
Just a short drive outside Winnipeg
The Train Bridge Headingly – If your Wedding or Wedding Reception is taking place in Charleswood, The Gates on Roblin or Breezy Bend then this location is close by. The contrast of tracks and wedding party and/or groomsmen looks amazing in black and white.
Lockport: Take a short drive down scenic route (River Rd) towards Lockport and you’ll be rewarded with great scenery and many photo locations along the way. Once you get to Lockport head over East towards Henderson Hwy and stop to get a quick bite for burgers.
Oak Hammock Marsh: Located about 20 minutes from the Winnipeg Perimeter, a wildlife preserve this is a huge area with multiple varieties of wildlife from birds to mammals of all kinds.
Birds Hill Provincial Park: Just minutes outside Winnipeg! Birds Hill Provincial Park is where you’ll find wildlife with deer being prominent, manmade beaches and camp grounds. Lots of foliage locations at this park.
Lower Fort Garry: A national historic site, Lower Fort Garry is the oldest stone fur trading post still intact in North America. The have multiple interpreters/reenactors to tell and show you what it was like in the mid 1800s.
