Heather Bays

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Canada
Toronto, ON
Heather Bays

Editorial Portraits & Brand Storytelling
✨ Magazine-inspired photographs
✨ Brands that want to be seen
Toronto and surrounding areas. I love real moments.

I love genuine emotions. That's why I am a lifestyle photographer. And that's why my photoshoots are unscripted. Because they are photographs of genuine moments in time. They are taken out of the studio and in to your world which gives them a more editorial portrait feel on a more personal level. The photographs are brought to life and radiates the emotion to the viewers. Just REAL life moments. I

photograph on location anywhere your heart desires. I have many great suggestions too if you aren't sure. My sessions are never rushed, but I do only take limited amount of sessions in each month. Team Sessions and Portrait Parties are also available (ask for more info if interested.) To see more of my work, please look through my different galleries at:
www.heatherbays.com

09/10/2026

I’ve been photographing pregnancy for a very long time.
And apparently I’ve also been trying to turn maternity sessions into editorial shoots for a very long time. 😂
I unintentionally went digging through my archives this week and pulled photographs from different sessions, different people and completely different years. Some of these images are more than 15 years old.
And looking at them together, I realized something.
I’ve always been more drawn to making an interesting portrait of a pregnant person than in making what we traditionally think of as a “maternity photograph.”
The colours. The clothes. The location. The light. The person. Their relationship. Their body at this particular moment in their life.
That’s probably why maternity is one part of my old work that still feels very at home in the direction FLO has taken.
My work has changed a lot over the years. But apparently some things haven’t. ❤️

09/01/2026

One of the things I think about when planning branding photographs is where someone’s work actually belongs.
Last summer I photographed a Toronto psychotherapist whose practice incorporates expressive arts and a connection to nature.
So rather than doing it in a studio or office setting, we went to High Park.
Because it’s not just: What photographs do you need?
It’s more like: What should someone understand about you from the photographs?

08/25/2026

Sometimes the whole point is just to make something fun.
Give me a pink sequin dress, a bright blue wall, a yellow room, some pretty lights and someone willing to play along, and I’m pretty happy. 😂
This shoot with Shayna was one of those sessions where we just kept trying things. Change the outfit. Move over here. What if we shoot through the Christmas tree? What if everything is pink? What if we put orange on yellow even though every colour theory instinct says maybe calm down?
We did not calm down.
And I love these.
This is one of the things I love most about editorial portraits. They don’t have to commemorate a milestone or serve a business purpose. You don’t need to be a model. You don’t even need a particularly good reason to do them.
Sometimes you can make photographs of yourself simply because it sounds fun to step into something a little different for an afternoon.
And honestly, I think that’s reason enough.

Editorial portraits by FLO | Toronto

08/21/2026

It was around my fifth FLO Field Note, I realized there may, in fact, be such a thing as too many self-portraits. 😂
I’ve actually been taking self-portraits for more than 17 years, usually at least one every year.
Part of it has always been creative. If I have an idea, I don’t need to find a model. I can just try it. I’ve covered a room in tinfoil, made clouds out of pillow stuffing, dragged dresses into the woods and generally made myself the guinea pig for whatever weird idea is in my head.
But that’s only half of it.
I’ve also come to really value having photographs of myself as I’ve grown and changed.
Like a lot of people, I’ve had complicated feelings about aging and my body over the years. But at some point I accepted that our bodies are ever-changing. Tomorrow I’m a day older. And I’ve come to recognize what a gift that is.
So when I look back at these photographs, I don’t wish I’d waited until I looked different or felt more confident.
I’m just really glad those versions of me exist.
So there will definitely be more self-portraits. Maybe just... not five elaborate FLO Field Notes in a row. 😂
I wrote more about why I keep turning the camera on myself, and what being on both sides of it has taught me, over on the blog at:
https://www.heatherbays.com/blog/why-i-keep-turning-the-camera-on-myself
And yes, the last photo is a self-portrait too. My husband makes a great prop. 😉

05/27/2026

A few years ago, if you had told me I would completely rebrand my business, I probably would’ve laughed.
I had already spent years building a name for myself in the photography world. People knew me for birth photography, newborns, motherhood, family storytelling. It was emotional work, meaningful work… but eventually I started feeling pulled in a different direction creatively.

The problem was, I didn’t just need a new logo. I needed clarity. I needed to figure out:
What I actually wanted to create.
Who I wanted to work with.
What made my work different.
How I wanted people to feel when they landed on my website or stepped in front of my camera.

During the pandemic when everything stopped, I worked remotely as a Creative Director at a branding agency, helping businesses shape their identity and communicate their value clearly. And over the recent years working with many local entrepreneurs with their brand imagery, I realized something important…

Most small business owners aren’t lacking passion. They’re lacking support, direction, and space to think clearly.
So while rebuilding my own business, I started organizing the things that genuinely helped:
the questions,
the systems,
the strategy,
the foundational steps people often skip because they feel overwhelmed.

That eventually turned into this:
The Business Launch Checklist.

A free guide for people building something from scratch, or rebuilding something that no longer feels aligned. Honestly, it’s even useful for businesses that are already up and running but need to pause and ask:
“Did I miss anything important along the way?”
This is not a “get rich quick” business guide. Not loud marketing advice. Just a thoughtful, easy, step-by-step checklist from someone who understands how messy the process can feel.

If you’ve been sitting on an idea, trying to pivot, or dreaming about creating something of your own, this is for you.
You can download it here:
https://www.heatherbays.com/workflo

Heather.
🫶🏼

05/06/2026

FLO Field Notes 05: Be Your Own Met Gala
The only invitation you need is your own.
Getting dressed up just because you can?
Creating something beautiful from pieces with history?
Seeing yourself as art before the world tells you that you are?
That matters too.
Maybe even more.
You don’t need a red carpet to be worthy of being seen.
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Toronto Editorial + Brand Photographer

04/24/2026

Personal branding photography is more than a set of professional images. It’s a visual representation of how you show up in your work.
In a world where your online presence often introduces you before you ever speak, the way you are seen matters. Your website, social platforms, and marketing materials all rely on imagery to communicate who you are, what you do, and how you want to be perceived.
Personal branding photography is the process of creating intentional, cohesive images that reflect your personality, your work, and your brand.
Not just what you look like, but how you show up, and how you make people feel…

Continue reading here:
https://www.heatherbays.com/blog/what-is-personal-branding-photography
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Toronto Editorial + Brand Photographer
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04/22/2026

FLO Field Notes 04: Moody
One day it’s soft and warm,
the next a little grey.
This time of year doesn’t quite settle,
it moves. It changes.
It’s growing season.

Toronto Editorial + Brand Photographer
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04/10/2026

What is editorial photography, and why does it feel so different?
It’s not about posing perfectly. It’s not about smiling for the camera.
It’s about creating images that feel like a story, something a little more intentional, a little more cinematic.
This is the kind of work I create for both personal and brand sessions.
I wrote a new blog breaking it down simply. What it is, what it isn’t, and how it can shape you or your brand.
Read it here:
https://www.heatherbays.com/blog/what-is-editorial-portrait-photography

Toronto Editorial + Brand Photographer
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04/09/2026

FLO Field Notes 03: April Showers
Somewhere between winter and spring, when everything feels a little slow, a little stuck.
Head in the clouds. Waiting it out.
And then, eventually, the summer sun shines in.
Get those summer dresses ready!
Toronto Editorial + Brand Photographer
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https://www.heatherbays.com/

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