Toronto Flower Market - Film Photography
Images from the First Toronto Flower Market of 2025 - Kodak Gold 200 and Yashica Electro 35GX
The Toronto Flower Market is the city's first outdoor flower market, established in May 2013, the market celebrates and supports Ontario-grown flowers and plants, connecting local growers and florists directly with the community. Held monthly from May through October, the market takes place on select Saturdays at the CAMH grounds, located at 1001 Queen Street West, at the southwest corner of Queen Street West and Shaw Street.
For the 2025 season, the market dates are:
May 10
June 14
July 12
August 16
September 13
October 11
The market is family-friendly and welcomes all ages! As can be seen from the photos below, leashed dogs are also welcome. The venue is wheelchair accessible with paved pathways all throughout the park. While most vendors accept cash and debit/credit cards, bringing cash is recommended.
The Toronto Flower Market features a diverse array of vendors, including over 75 Ontario-based flower growers and florists. Visitors can explore a vibrant selection of seasonal blooms, plants, and floral arrangements. Beyond flowers, the market often includes handmade goods, planters, and other plant-related products.
The market draws a mix of locals, creatives, families, and there’s a relaxed, community-driven feel. It’s also the perfect place to grab grab fresh, high-quality floral arrangements for that dinner party, special occasion, your significant other, or if you just want to brighten up your home.
Whether you're a plant enthusiast, looking for a unique outdoor experience, or just want something relaxing and beautiful to do in the city, I would highly recommend checking it out. Every month brings a new selection of seasonal flowers — from tulips and peonies in spring, to sunflowers and dahlias in summer, and chrysanthemums in the fall.
As mentioned earlier, the market exclusively features Ontario-grown flowers and plants, making it a fantastic way to support local farmers, growers, and small businesses. You can chat directly with the growers and florists to learn about their craft, get tips on flower care, or find out what’s in season.
Markets like this provide a direct sales platform for local growers, florists, and artisans. This means Better income for producers, Lower environmental footprint (local = less transport) and a more resilient local economy. It’s also a tangible way to keep small-scale, ethical farming alive in an industry often dominated by mass imports.
Markets like this bring people together, creating a shared space where artists, florists, and nature lovers share knowledge, where neighbors and strangers connect, and where families and friends gather. It’s a community-building hub, not just a place to shop.
Events like this remind us to slow down, live seasonally, and support the world right outside our door. I personally think events such as this is why I personally love photography. It encourages me to get outside, interact with people (even if it is behind a camera), and enjoy local creative scenes.
From a Photography perspective, I thought this was the absolute best place to use a roll of Kodak Gold 200. The film naturally provides warm and nostalgic tones with rich highlights, slightly muted blues and greens, but enhanced reds and yellows. Considering this was taking place on a nice bright and sunny day, the ISO Rating of 200 (although I shot these photos with a setting of 100 ISO) was no problem for the daylight conditions.
Having used the Yashica Electro 35GX Rangefinder, I still slightly struggle to focus my shots. Although the infinity focus is true and doesn’t require any guessing that made it a lot easier to snap those moments which only last a split second. I actually thought that there would be an issue with the camera selecting a shutter speed that would be too low (as it’s an Aperture Priority camera), I was delightfully surprised to see that this was not the case.
I think that the Toronto Flower Market is a perfect weekend outing for plant lovers and casual browsers alike. If you live in Downtown Toronto or happen to be visiting the city, I would highly recommend checking it out! I would recommend coming as early as possible though in order to see the greatest selection of Flowers.
All photos shown in this post were Developed and Scanned by West Camera: https://westcamera.ca/
