Winter Storm in Canada
I visited Canada for the first time in February 2025, just as they were expecting a winter storm. It was a completely different experience for someone from Southern California, where there’s no snow at all!
Now I had the chance to walk through Toronto and Montreal and take some unique shots of these city while covered in snow. Of course it was too cold to just walk around easily and I had to maintain my time out in snow, and then go back to a coffee shop or PATH (amazing underground system that is just like a complete city with all equipment and features underground.
My Nikon Zf could handle that cold weather (average -12 degree of celsius) with no issues. Along with 40mm f2 lens, I had a good kit to do a acceptable street photography there. The lens is combined with a PolarPro Shortstache Everyday filter, which blends black mist and polarizer features.
Everywhere is frozen. Colors are subtle and trees has no leaves on them. It would be a great chance to take photos with beautiful monochrome profile on camera which its output is really exceptional and the main reason I just kept it camera.
Niagara Falls
First time visiting Niagara Falls and it is all frozen around it! Still people are here to watch this magnificent natural beauty. If you look closer, you can see pieces of ice in the water stream falling off. The light pole near water also been covered in ice on the side facing Niagara Falls. The visitor center nearby worth checking out as well.
Downtown Toronto
Not that many people are hanging around in downtown in such cold weather. Instead, “The Path” hosts almost all people going to work, hanging out together, having lunch or shopping. I admit I was amazed how clean and well organized it is! For me that visiting from SoCal and experiencing DTLA, The Path is totally the opposite experience of it. The Path can be escape point for me to go inside and get warm anytime at freezing point! Overall, I was able to walk for about 12 miles in downtown Toronto and take photos.
Going to waterfront, I could tell summer time going to be busy here with lots of events and fun stuff happening. There been music, chairs and shades by the beach, and boats parked. It was my first time seeing boats are covered due to cold weather!
Montreal
Montreal was even colder! They seem to have their own facilities and tools to deal with it as much as possible. Still, I was about to experience one of heaviest winter storms in Montreal in decades! Thankfully my experience Toronto taught me how to deal with this cold. One funny thing was that clothing store already started selling summer clothes and swim suites, and finding a glove was a challenge! (I ended up getting a cheap one at a gas station). On the other side, winter clothes been discounted which was a good chance for me to stack up on a good winter jacket.
I first visited Saint Joseph's Oratory of Mount Royal, which is famous for healing people who can’t walk and you can find several cranes and wheelchairs there, that they left behind because they got healed and started walking!
Walking through Montreal
Everything is frozen! People are still around, going shopping, and waiting in line to go to restaurant! I felt Montreal is a bit older and has different structure compared to Toronto. Night time is just as busy and amazing ad day! I heard they have great nightlife there, and no matter it is cold, people are still around having fun together.
