PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHY STUDIO SERVING THE GREATER TORONTO AREA

FOR THE SECOND CONSECUTIVE TIME

member of:

Professional Photographers of Ontario

Professional Photographers of America

TORONTO PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHY STUDIO

Welcome to our web site.

Harder Photography is owned and operated by Dania and Gerd Harder.

Our portrait studio is located near Thornton, Ontario. Thornton is located between Newmarket and Barrie. It is only a few minutes drive from either of the following two exits on the 400: exit # 85 coming from Muskoka and Barrie, or the Cookstown exit # 75 if you are coming from Newmarket or from Toronto.

The studio is situated right in the middle between its two major markets for family photography, children portraits and related portraiture. Northbound it is only 45 minutes to the cottage country at the Georgian Bay and Muskoka Lakes and to the south the Greater Toronto area is about at the same distance.

This is where the majority of its clients originate. Harder Photography is drawing clients from nearby Barrie, Gravenhurst, Bracebridge, Alliston, Newmarket and Aurora for its studio work. But for its specialty which is on location family photography as well as children, maternity and glamour portraits Gerd gets commissioned from all over the Greater Toronto and Muskoka Lakes area.

Gerd loves on location family photography. In the middle of Toronto family photography is done on a regular basis while next day you may find him photographing children or families at their cottage near Muskoka Lake or at the Georgian Bay.

Leaving the comfort of his studio behind and practicing family photography at a Muskoka cottage or at a home in Downtown Toronto may be challenging at times. The reward is living up to the challenges and offering family photography and other portraiture which is unique to the individual client. His patrons adore having memories of their cottage or home documented in their family portraits.

Gerd Harder was raised in Germany. Portrait photography runs in his family. He is a fourth generation portrait photographer. His Great-grandfather, his grandfather and his father have all operated their own portrait studios. Several other uncles, great uncles and cousins had photography studios as well. No wonder that Gerd was introduced to photography at an early age. Some of his first memories are watching his father photographing portraits with one of the wooden large format cameras. During his lifetime, Gerd experienced the evolution from big format cameras using glass negatives, to roll film, 35mm and now professional digital photography. At seven years old he was given his first box camera, at twelve he was the proud owner of a Leicaflex and began taking portraits of his friends in his parents’ studio. By helping out in his parents’ photo studio he gradually gained insight in many disciplines that are needed by a professional photographer. After high school he visited one of the oldest yet most renowned photography schools in Europe, the “Bavarian School for Photography”. He studied architectural, landscape, commercial and portrait photography as well as graphic design and art history at this hundred year old institution. After completing his exams, Gerd spent two years as assistant to Jochen Harder, a leading fashion and beauty photographer in Munich whose photo studio was catering to the major German magazines as well as to several national and international fashion and beauty companies.

In the late seventies Gerd made his first trip to Canada. At this time his focus was on animal, wildlife and landscape photography. Young and ready for some adventure, he bought himself a canoe and traveled down the Mackenzie river from the Great Slave Lake to its delta in Canada's North West Territories. On the way he photographed and documented the ways of life of natives, oil workers and other people he encountered. He fell in love with the country and after working for two years as a portrait photographer in Germany he immigrated to Canada.

He opened his first photo studio in Montreal, specializing in wedding and children and family portrait photography. He did this for the next twenty years. Within that time he met his wife Dania. Her main focus is children, mother and child and pregnancy portraits.

At the turn of the century they decided to take on a new challenge and a major change in their lives. They moved to Florida and spent the next six years as portrait photographers specializing in high school senior pictures, children portraits and family photography. In 2001 they decided to make the switch into digital photography and never looked back. The minute they unwrapped their first professional digital camera was the last time they touched a film. At a time when many people were still skeptical about the quality of digital photography they realized the control and artistic freedom which digital photography enabled them to enjoy. As a bonus it rekindled the love for photography and for the arts which Gerd had experienced in his youth. In his free time you could find him behind the camera or in front of the computer enjoying himself doing his own glamour and fine art photography projects. After years of absence from professional competitions Gerd joined the "Professional Photographers of Florida" and the "Professional Photographers of America". Once again he started entering photographs in the yearly print competitions and the judges loved his work. Since 2002 he was honored with many first places, Kodak Gallery awards, Fuji Masterpiece award, Best of Category and others. His colleagues voted him into the “Ten Best Florida Photographers” three years in a row and the Professional Photographers of America honored his photographs with the Photographer of the Year award in 2004, 2005 and 2006.

For family and personal reasons the Harders decided to return to Canada in 2006. Gerd joined the local associations, the "Professional Photographers of Ontario" and the "Professional Photographers of Canada". After some searching they found a place near Barrie, Ontario where they opened a professional portrait studio. Barrie is a fast growing city, less than an hour from Toronto and not far from some jewels of Canada's northern landscape, like the Georgian Bay, Muskoka lakes and the Algonquin Provincial Park area. In his illustrative and commercial photography Gerd is continuing to produce landscape pictures of the Canadian north. You might meet him somewhere in the Muskoka Lakes or Georgian Bay area shooting scenery and wildlife photos. His landscape photography is available for sale and can be seen in his clients homes, in their offices in downtown Toronto or at their cottages up north. Gerd loves to work in the outdoors, be it for landscape photography or taking a family portrait at a cottage or lake. He also enjoys taking pictures at his clients homes. All over the greater area of Toronto family photography is provided locally at his clients' living quarters.

In commercial photography his services are available for the local Tourist Industry to show their facilities in the best light. Finally Gerd continues to offer his illustrative services to the music, model and glamour industry. Increasingly private clients are showing interest in his style of glamour, artistic nude and boudoir photography as well. Some women wish to get a glamorous photograph as a gift for their husbands while others prefer a sensual boudoir portrait for their boyfriend for Valentine and for themselves. Moms to be have been inspired to record the beauty of their changing body with pregnancy portraits. Ever since Demi Moore’s maternity portrait graced the cover of Vanity Fair magazine, not only stars and celebrities have their pregnancy pictures taken. Years ago maternity clothing tried to conceal and hide while today's maternity fashion is highlighting the beauty of the pregnant body. Likewise modern moms are celebrating the extraordinary changes pregnancy brings to their bodies and like to have them recorded by a gifted portrait artist. Women who wish to get their maternity photographs taken have the same choice as Gerd's glamour, children and family photography clients. In the greater area of Toronto pregnancy photography can be taken at a cottage, at home or at Harder Photography's portrait studio in Thornton.

After the little one sees the light of the day newborn baby pictures provide everlasting memories. Mother and baby portraits or nowadays father and baby portraits are precious souvenirs not only for mom and dad but also for the child once they are older. Patrons from Toronto which got their family portraits taken at their cottages in the Muskoka lakes area show interest in an image of their cottage with an artistic approach. Last but not least there is pet photography to mention. After Gerd spend much of his time recording animals in the wild, it comes natural to him to do the same with domestic pets. He enjoys photographing dogs, cats, horses etc. Clients have came in with snakes and iguanas to get themselves immortalized with their favorite companion in an artistic portrait photograph.

You are invited to have a look at the illustrative photograph and portrait galleries.

Enjoy!

FAMILY PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHY OPENING PROMOTION

PHOTOGRAPHED AT YOUR HOME OR COTTAGE FROM MUSKOKA TO DOWNTOWN TORONTO

FOR EXAMPLES OF OUR PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHY CLICK ON ANY OF THE LINKS BELOW AT THE RIGHT

FOR EXAMPLES OF OUR COMMERCIAL PHOTOGRAPHY CLICK ON ANY OF THE LINKS BELOW AT THE RIGHT

Toronto portrait photography studio

by award winning photographer

Gerd Harder

at Harder Photography

near Thornton, Ontario, Canada

only a few minutes south from Barrie.

Harder Photography is serving the Greater Toronto Area, Ontario, eastern Canada and beyond.

Our specialty is family, children, pet and glamour photography

as well as illustrative photography and fine portraiture in the comfort of your home,

Muskoka cottage, at the beach or any other place which is dear to you.

In case you need a more neutral background we are also prepared to provide you with excellent studio work

at our portrait studio near Thornton, Ontario.

For a better idea for your photography project contact Gerd Harder Photography: CONTACT INFORMATION