Oh Ottawa, how you captivate the hearts and minds of our wonderful country. We absolutely adore Ottawa as a location for our photography courses. There are so many incredible indoor and outdoor locations in Ottawa that provide exceptional subjects to photograph – no wonder it’s one of Canada’s top tourist destinations!
In this tour of Ottawa we’re going to be taking you around some of Ottawa’s Heritage Sites, or as we like to call it, this is the Spectacular Building tour of Ottawa. Regardless of how you feel about our fair capital city, you can’t deny that there are sites there for everyone to enjoy. From spectacular parks, to beautiful waterfronts, to gorgeous heritage buildings, there is something in Ottawa for everyone to enjoy. This tour is the first in a series to help you discover more about the city, so give our first set of locations a go and let us know what you think!
Don’t forget that if you’re struggling to capture the shots you’re really looking for, you can always join our fantastic photography courses in Ottawa. We’re here to help you and with our world-class Instructors we’ll have you taking the photographs you’ve always wanted.
Spectacular Building Tour of Ottawa:
Location 1: Parliament Hill
Yep, in this tour we’re going with the iconic! This tour starts off with one of Ottawa’s most visited and most recognizable buildings perched atop Parliament Hill. And yes, it is totally worth the visit!
In this spectacular location you may be lucky enough to capture vibrant events, wonderful light (think morning or evening), and beautiful details (I mean, on a building that lovely it won’t be hard!).
Be sure to choose your timing wisely as a grey, overcast day may make it difficult to create a photograph that shows off the true beauty of the scenery here. Photographing this building from the back (say from Major’s Hill Park) also produces quite spectacular results…
Location 2: National Gallery
Once you’ve finished at Parliament, head over to the National Gallery. This building is an architectural wonder both inside and out. Enjoy the grounds, the flowers and photographing the exterior of the building before heading inside and unleashing your creativity!
Look here for beautiful geometric patterns, leading lines, and opportunities to use lens distortion to exaggerate certain features. Want to know how to make the most of your time there? Our Digital I Beginner Photography Course takes place inside the Gallery during winter, and around the building and grounds during summer! What an amazing place to learn to use your camera.
LPC Class by Instructor Rob 
LPC Class by Instructor Annik 
LPC Class by Instructor Annik 
LPC Class by Instructor Rob 
LPC Instructor Dan
Location 3: Byward Market
Love travelling? Want to get some practice in for street photography? Head next to the Byward Market! This is a great location to practice capturing scenes of bustling streets, busy storefronts and interesting details. Best part is that you won’t regret a stroll through the markets even if you don’t take a single photograph as we’re sure you’ll love the food!
This is a great location to practice your skills from our Digital II – Action & Composition course! With moving people, great filtered light for light contrast, and an abundance of details, you’ll be able to while away a few hours here just having fun.
Photo: Ottawa Life Magazine
Location 4: Rideau Canal
Our last stop on our first tour of Ottawa takes us down to the Rideau Canal. This is a great location for taking photographs as there is so much to explore and there are stunning photography opportunities at any time of day. The Canal is often a feature of our Night Photography course and don’t let winter turn you off heading down there as well!
Thanks for reading the first of our photography tours in Ottawa! Don’t forget to check out our amazing Photography Courses as well – there is always more to learn and we can help you take your photography to the next level!
We’re always looking for inspiration for our next photography tour so if you have a favourite photography stop in or around Ottawa please let us know!!
Stay tuned for more and until next time – have fun!