The 10 Best Commercial Photographers in Toronto

There must be something in the water in Toronto. Not only is there a huge number of Toronto commercial photographers, but many are truly exceptional. They cover a wide variety of needs, specialties, and genres, from the standard to the highly creative. Some are even quite unique and unusual. Here are some of the best among them. See for yourself why we think Toronto is practically a mecca for top commercial photography.

1. Mark Dunsmuir

Mark Dunsmuir’s website doesn’t say much about him or even what he does beyond that he’s a “commercial photographer,” letting his photographs do the talking. He may be on to something, since that’s the whole point of his pictures, to communicate, not just look pretty on your wall.

What caught our attention about his work—full of fashion and beauty shots; some product shots here and there; largely with simple, even solid, non-distracting backgrounds—is that they were deceptively compelling. Innocently seductive. They consistently drew you in, even briefly, to look further. Great at creating marketing images? We prefer to think he’s just a wizard.

2. Brilynn Ferguson

It’s the drink part of “food and drink photography” that made us take note of Brilynn Ferguson’s images. There’s nothing substandard about her food shots—excellent and appetizing, in natural, realistic settings; you’ll want to go to her website to see them—but promotional shots of drinks are tough. We’re talking about typically transparent liquids here. Their visual impact relies entirely on presentation. And Ferguson nails them.

Much like her food shots, in natural, realistic settings too. The lifelike lighting look is magnificent, even more so when you consider that many of the shots are supposedly in a dark bar, and when combined with Ferguson’s authentic compositions, the results are superb.

3. Vicki Bartel

Focused on serving the needs of female entrepreneurs, Vicki Bartel’s personal branding images have an undeniably upbeat and positive vibe. With a very light and airy feel, Bartel’s portraits all seem to have a bit of diffusion, zapping any harshness right out of there.

And they’re incredibly bright, so much so, it wouldn’t be surprising to learn Bartel leans towards extra exposure during shooting or lets in a bit more light during editing. The overall effect is brilliant, peppy, and fun, a perfect match for the big unforced smiles and laughter that permeate her wonderful work.

4. Janet Kwan

Among gifted Toronto commercial photographers, make sure to remember interior, lifestyle, and product photographer Janet Kwan if you’ve got a lifestyle brand, and what you want is that look-and-feel popularized by the likes of Real Simple and Martha Stewart Living magazines.

Kwan has got that bright and super-clean style and aura really pegged down and mastered. Interior designers and decorators are natural clients of hers, of course. But Kwan also makes her skills and sensibilities available to lifestyle, food, and product photography. You can see a lot of these on her website.

5. Lana Malykh

Versatile and flexible are adjectives that come to mind when browsing through food and product photographer Lana Malykh’s work. After you’ve looked through a few shots, you think you’ve got her style down, and keep scrolling. Suddenly a whole new series of pictures emerge executed in a whole different style.

One second you’re looking at perfect studio shots taken from straight above over a solid white base, the next you’re sifting through shots in a real life setting beautifully lit with natural light. We see dishes and products laid out alone, then creatively, then in use. We see them dramatically up close, then from afar. Some have barely any shadows, some have a lot… the list goes on. One thing is constant throughout, however: her shots are consistently excellent.

6. Caleb Cudjoe

It’s not surprising to see quite a number of product photography specialists among the community of Toronto commercial photographers. What is impressive, though, is seeing how many of them are exceptionally good. Like Caleb Cudjoe.

His images predominantly involve a higher degree of studio production and concept preparation—he likes to play with lighting, and almost surrealistic angles and layouts—yet he doesn’t go overboard, still keeping the whole picture fairly simple, on point, and most importantly, visually appealing. He leans towards colors that are bright and snappy, but not wildly so. Cudjoe’s is intelligent, eye-catching, and likely very effective, work.

7. Misho Shaltout 

There are quite a few real estate photographers in Toronto, but there’s something about Misho Shaltout’s pictures that consistently set them apart from the others. A bit of digging reveals the very likely why: Shaltout not only actually has a degree in architecture, he also earned a certificate in photographic studies. At a minimum, that shows Shaltout is extra serious about his craft, and we can all see that in his work.

From buildings to residences and interiors, he often seeks out and highlights special features and appealing angles, and takes unusual care over the details. Look at the skies! There’s no question the man knows how to sell a property visually.

8. Billie Chiasson

Going on 13 years in her career, Billie Chiasson is well established in the beauty and fashion photography industry and other related genres. Her portraiture skills are particularly sought out, with her expert lighting treatment of skin and hair making her a favorite of cosmetics and beauty products companies like Sephora.

Shooting mostly in-studio, her visual style is simple, elegant, classy, and sophisticated, tending more towards more muted colors. She catches our attention through quality and beauty, not surprise and shock, in effect drawing us in voluntarily. Judging from her mesmerizing photographs, it makes all the difference in the world.

9. Bre Elbourn

Setting herself apart from other Toronto commercial photographers is a piece of cake for Bre Elbourn. A creative product photographer, Elbourn takes her product pictures exclusively in a studio environment; one look at her portfolio, and you’ll instantly see why.

Using a minimalist graphic designer’s sensibilities, Elbourn takes simple but striking pictures of the products set at interesting angles and points of view, in unusually intriguing compositions over solid colored backgrounds. The look is very contemporary and youthful. Taking full advantage of available tech, Elbourn will very likely find even more interesting ways to put that brilliantly to work for her product shoots moving forward.

10. Joy Blackburn

On top of her standard bright and crisp headshots and personal branding photos, corporate lifestyle photographer Joy Blackburn has an appealing editorial angle so businesses won’t have to use generic stock photos in their marketing and other collateral material: she creates a photo library featuring the enterprise’s own employees. These personalized on-the-job shots really bring the business to life visually, and Blackburn’s ability to produce compelling images turns her work into a real reusable asset for her clientele.

Business is booming in Toronto!

The best Toronto commercial photographers have a strong sense of the city’s spirit. Toronto has a creative energy and a can-do attitude that give it its unique vibe, and we’re crazy about it. The city’s practically overflowing with talented creative professionals, and these world-class photographers know how to get the job done.

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