August 18-23, 2026 Toronto Passionate Photographer Masterclass

Workshop Details

This intimate, week-long masterclass is built around one goal: to help you make your strongest work yet. Toronto is a city which offers a rich, layered environment for serious street photography.

For this workshop, I’ll be joined by Toronto-based photographer Marc Rochette. Marc has photographed this city for more than 40 years. This is his hometown, and he knows it in a way that only comes from decades of working the streets—understanding not just where to go, but how a place behaves, how the light moves, and where something meaningful might unfold. Together, we’ll give you both a broad and deeply local perspective on the city.

Toronto doesn’t hand itself to you easily. It’s not a postcard city. It reveals itself slowly, in gestures, in subtle interactions, in the rhythm between people and place. That’s exactly why it’s so rewarding to photograph. Over the course of the week, we’ll work past the obvious and into something more personal—photographs that capture the feeling and atmosphere of the city.

We’ll shoot lots, edit honestly, and build a cohesive body of work that reflects both the city and your evolving voice. Expect a balance of guided shooting, independent exploration, and thoughtful critique. We’ll challenge you to stay longer, move closer, simplify, and trust your instincts.

What we want for you is simple: clarity in your vision, confidence in your process, and a portfolio that reflects real growth.

Why Toronto?

Toronto is one of the most culturally diverse cities in the world, with over 200 ethnic communities shaping its neighborhoods. For photographers, that translates into constant visual variety—different rhythms, different gestures, different stories unfolding block by block.

It’s a city of contrasts: glass towers and quiet residential streets, dense markets and open waterfronts, polished financial districts and raw, expressive neighborhoods. The light can be clean and architectural or soft and atmospheric depending on where you stand and when you choose to work.

Late August is one of the most vibrant times to photograph Toronto. The city is fully alive—people outdoors, festivals underway, and long summer evenings that stretch the shooting day. It’s an ideal moment to immerse yourself in the rhythm of the streets.

The CNE: A Photographic Playground

As a highlight of the week, we’ll spend dedicated time photographing the Canadian National Exhibition (CNE), one of the largest fairs in North America and a true visual feast for street photographers.

The CNE offers a concentrated burst of photographic opportunity: bold color, graphic design, human interaction, spectacle, and quiet moments tucked inside the chaos. From midway rides and food stands to games, performances, and crowds moving through the diverse light, it’s a place to practice timing, anticipation, and composition at a high level.

We’ll approach it with intention—not just reacting to the obvious, but working scenes deeply, finding patterns, and building strong images. It’s the perfect environment to come away with dynamic, portfolio-level work.

Where We’ll Work

Toronto offers an incredible range of environments for street photographers. We’ll focus on locations that provide maximum visual opportunities and reward patience:

Kensington Market
A dense, colorful neighborhood full of life. Layered scenes, characters, textures, and constant movement. This is a place to get close, work the frame, and embrace complexity.

Queen Street West
A long stretch of evolving urban culture—fashion, youth, storefront reflections, and shifting light. Ideal for gesture, timing, and graphic composition.

Yonge-Dundas Square
Toronto’s busiest intersection. Screens, crowds, motion. A place to practice anticipation and manage visual chaos with intent.

Distillery District
Historic brick architecture mixed with contemporary life. Strong geometry, clean backgrounds, and opportunities for more controlled compositions.

St. Lawrence Market
One of the great markets in North America. Gesture, interaction, and human connection. A perfect place to slow down and observe.

Toronto Islands
A quieter counterpoint to the city. Open space, leisure, and a different rhythm. Good for exploring mood and restraint.

Chinatown (Spadina Avenue)
Busy, layered, and full of visual energy. A place to work on layering and timing within complex scenes.

We’ll also explore less obvious locations—transit systems, financial corridors, residential neighborhoods—where the real texture of the city often reveals itself.

Our Hotel: DoubleTree by Hilton

Centrally located in downtown Toronto on Queen Street West, our base is the welcoming DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Toronto Downtown—just steps from City Hall, Nathan Phillips Square, and within easy reach of some of the city’s most visually rich neighborhoods.

We’ll be based in this comfortable, contemporary hotel that offers a reliable, well-appointed space to come back to after long days on the street. Rooms are clean and thoughtfully designed, with good work areas that make it easy to download, review, and begin shaping your images each evening. Wi-Fi is strong and consistent, and the overall atmosphere is calm—important when you need to slow down and think clearly about your work.

The hotel features an indoor pool and fitness center, useful for resetting between sessions, along with an on-site restaurant for convenience. It’s not about luxury here—it’s about functionality, comfort, and having a dependable base that supports the rhythm of our days.

Toronto is an exceptionally walkable city, and many of our shooting locations begin right outside the hotel doors. From the layered energy of Queen Street West to the financial district, Kensington Market, and beyond, we’ll be immersed in a wide range of photographic opportunities within minutes. With additional transport when needed, we’ll move efficiently across the city and return easily for our lectures and critiques, held in our meeting space at the hotel.

Additional nights may be available at a preferred workshop rate.

Night Photography

Toronto offers rich opportunities after dark. From neon reflections to quiet late-night corners, we’ll explore how to work with mixed light and atmosphere. You’ll learn how to stay responsive in low light—handheld, attentive, and intentional.

Food & Experience

Toronto’s food scene reflects its diversity. We’ll take advantage of that—simple, authentic meals in neighborhoods we’re photographing. This is part of the experience. Sitting down, slowing down, observing—it all feeds the work.

Street Technique & Approach

We’ll cover a practical, stripped-down approach to street photography—how to simplify your gear and your thinking so you can respond quickly and intuitively.

We’ll talk about:

• Working the scene beyond the first frame
• Anticipation and timing
• Composition and layering
• Light as structure
• Approaching people and managing hesitation
• Color vs. black and white decisions

No matter what system you use, the goal is the same: remove friction so you can stay present and ready.

WELCOME DINNER

Our welcome dinner TBD! 

Lectures & Critiques

There will be focused lectures and group critiques. This is where real growth happens. You’ll bring in your work from the field, and we’ll go through it together—honestly, constructively, and without ego. You’ll learn as much from editing as you will from shooting.

We’ll also cover workflow—how to manage, edit, and shape your work into something cohesive using Lightroom Classic.

All levels of photographic experience can benefit from this workshop. You’ll learn about the “rhythm of place” and you will discuss the laws and ethics of street photography as well as dealing with difficult situations that might pop up. You will define a strategy for capturing the rich daily life of people on the street; overcoming fears and shyness, approaching strangers, framing, juxtaposition, layering your compositions, letting the image come to you and whether color or black and white best suits your vision. And you will have fun!

 “The only thing that gets in the way of a really good photograph, is the camera.”  - Norman Parkinson

Testimonials

Don Dillon, Phoenix, Arizona October 2018

If I am honest, I approached this workshop with a combination of excited anticipation and butterfly inducing dread. This is my third Steve Simon workshop; you’d think it would get easier and less stressful. Nope, doesn’t work that way. The excited anticipation is about traveling to new and sometimes exotic locations, seeing old friends from previous workshops, meeting new ones, getting to know Miguel at this particular workshop - enjoying his knowledge of Portugal and his edgy sense of humor -  and spending time with and learning from Steve Simon, our dear leader and mentor. The fear is knowing I really have to produce images at the level I know is coming. 

In pregame preparation, I spent some time with the photographs I made in Tokyo and Havana as well as the rudimentary attempts of street shooting done in another lifetime. They are like visiting old friends with whom I have shared a powerful, split second human moment.  I modestly tell people who see my “keepers” that, “even a blind squirrel gets a nut once in a while” or “ when you take a zillion photos, you’re bound to get a decent one occasionally.” 

But truthfully, there is so much more to it. This feels like the semi pro street photographer’s tour. There are years of knowledge and experience mixed with lots of rookie mistakes. For me, what makes this such a powerful experience is I always come away from one of these an incrementally better street photographer with a clearer sense of what and why I am doing this in the first place. 

For me fear is the best motivator. If we all were just showing up as a nice group of folks out for some travel and vacation snapshots, I would be bored to death and would never come back. But, our Dear Leader has a very gentle way of throwing down the gauntlet and letting us know we are expected to triple down on the amount of time out on the streets shooting, become fearless in going in for the kill shot, cull and edit when normal people are sleeping and eating, and actually producing images that will be critiqued by some very talented people. As they say, “this ain’t easy.”

Lisbon has been one of those tough venues that from time to time really dislike, especially when getting the 15^th brushoff or outright angry rejection. I’m not a hunter but this feels like a hard bow hunt for elusive game. I finally know what I am as a street shooter. I know what I have to do to “bag” the elusive jewel. I know I can’t leave the little black camera in a drawer between workshops anymore; that just won’t cut it. 

I got more than what I came for. 

Gary Niederpruem, Chicago

“What a fabulous experience. I learned more about photography in one week than I had in 5 years. Steve is very knowledgable about the technical side as well as composition. He is very patient, gives excellent feedback and will work one on one with you on any photography subject you want. I asked him for help on night photography and at 10 PM he was out on the streets of Havana with me with step by step instructions on how to take the shot. 5 star plus rating!!”

Anna Blanco, New York City

“Best workshop I’ve ever taken! Steve is not only a great photographer, he is also a terrific teacher. He is patient and very hands- on. In some workshops the instructor sends students out to shoot after a short lecture–Steve goes out with his students, coaching them throughout the process. His course is well organized and covers diverse topics. He is funny and engaging and generous with his time and knowledge. I had SO MUCH fun and am ready to sign up for the next one. Highly recommended!”

Anne Dunford, Ithaca, New York

"My week in Steve’s Street Shooting workshop challenged me tremendously. There’s nothing like taking your work apart and putting it back together with new vision to make you a better photographer. If you take this workshop, I guarantee you will see the world differently at the end."

Paul Lavergne, San Juan, PR

"Steve’s passion for photography is contagious and his teaching abilities and knowledge extraordinary! I highly recommend this workshop to anyone interested in photography."

Chapman Solomon, Mountain View, CA

“Participating in the NYC Street Photography Workshop was an enriching and exhilarating experience. It challenged me to step out of my comfort zone to improve my skills. Steve’s curriculum and hands on approach offered me an opportunity to learn new techniques, add some creativity and visualize subject matter from another perspective. Each day presented abundant photo opportunities, resulting with the capture of some amazing images, exceeding my greatest expectations.”

Stephen Sholl, New York City

"Not only is Steve a great photographer, he is also a caring, compassionate person as well. He is constantly trying to help participants achieve their photographic goals in a gentle, caring, and sincere manner. Sadly, the critiques of my work were very helpful. Steve was right-on in terms of his suggestions to better my work. The totality of the workshop was terrific, primarily because the parts were all excellent as well. Choice of shooting locations, image reviews, suggestions, videos shown, and galleries visited were all great. Steve also promoted wonderful interactions among the participants. The venue was perfect for the workshop. We could spread out, leave your things there, use the facilities, and eat the goodies provided. You know you’re in good hands with Steve! An outstanding workshop!!"

Steve Lavelle, London

"This is an outstanding workshop, led by a world-class photographer. It is impossible to spend time in a room with Steve Simon and not be inspired to get out there and make great images …I had high expectations and you exceeded them…Steve is very personable, articulate and passionate about photography, very welcoming with a warm, engaging personality. Steve’s style is outstanding. I knew of Steve from the TWiP podcast and would have attended if he was talking about how to watch paint dry…”

Oscar Piñeyro, Dallas

"I just spent the last three days with Steve Simon, What a wonderful experience, the best time spent in a workshop ever. Steve is a perfectionist, every presentation not only had spectacular photography but also the perfect music to enhance the mood, a roller coaster of emotions. He cannot hide his journalistic background every single image tells a story. His technique is flawless; his teaching patience unparalleled. I am eager to start a new chapter of my photography applying what Steve taught me in the last few days."