The Image Journey Posts

A selection of photos from my current exhibition at The Craig Gallery in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia.

Dartmouth Now and Then

I took some photos in Dartmouth in 1978, apparently forgot about them altogether, and rediscovered them 40 years later, tucked into a negative sleeve with the cryptic notation, “Dartmouth — The Enchanted City.” (What a title!) Delighted by this find, I went back to rephotograph the same locations. This exhibition also includes some photos of Dartmouth taken in the past few years. It’s amazing how the area’s natural landscape and urban landscape have transformed over time. When we live our daily lives in a particular place, the change is so gradual that we barely notice it. But when the change is seen as a jump-cut after 40-plus years, the transformations can be drastic. And sometimes there has been barely any change at all.

When I was a young man, I was excited about the future, and yet a part of me dreaded any sort of change. The photos I took then were my way of pinning down moments in time, of grasping and understanding things I’d never seen before in my life. Changes in the physical world—as in our lives—are inevitable.

I do social landscape photography and am interested in New Topographics—the human-altered landscape–recording how human behavior and activity has affected the world. I also look for whimsical scenes, as well as elements of surrealism found in everyday life. My work is firmly planted in the documentary tradition, making photos through observation rather than through set-up and image manipulation. Photography keeps me in touch with the changing seasons and the passage of time. My images are intertwined with childhood memories, music, and locations around Hants County, Nova Scotia.

My work has been exhibited in Canada and, internationally, in France and China. The City of Toronto Archives has a collection of 700 of my digital images. Also, I have eight self-published photo books that are available online (through Blurb Books.)

Wentworth and Ochterloney, 1978 and 2022 – © Avard Woolaver

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Mic-Mac Mall, 1978 and 2023 – © Avard Woolaver

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Starr Manufacturing, 1978/ Marine Railway, 2023 – © Avard Woolaver

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Centennial Library, 1978/ Dartmouth Common, 2023 – © Avard Woolaver

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John, Ron and Mike Jackson, 1978 – © Avard Woolaver

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Dartmouth High School 50th Reunion, 2024 – © Avard Woolaver

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We’ve got to get ourselves back to the garden, Windmill Road and Nantucket Ave., 2012 – © Avard Woolaver

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View from Alderney Gate Public Library, 2014 – © Avard Woolaver

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Portland Street, 2023 – © Avard Woolaver

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View from Queen Square, 2022 – © Avard Woolaver

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Daffodil Garden for Cancer Survivors, 2022 – © Avard Woolaver

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No Bull Auto, Windmill Road, 2015 – © Avard Woolaver

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Arcade Fire at Alderney Landing, July 28, 2011 – © Avard Woolaver

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The Town Heroes at Alderney Landing, 2012 – © Avard Woolaver

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Mic-Mac Mall, 2012 – © Avard Woolaver

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Victoria Road, 2011 – © Avard Woolaver

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Wright and Wilkinson, 2018 – © Avard Woolaver

exhibitions Photography

I took a lot of photographs in my early years in Toronto in the 1980s, capturing street scenes and ordinary aspects of daily life that happened to catch my eye. I had no way to anticipate how significant these Toronto photos would seem to me 40 years later. They show things that no longer exist, even though it hasn’t been that long. Without necessarily trying to, I caught images of buildings, cars, fashions, gadgets that are no longer part of our world. Toronto’s entire skyline is utterly changed, part of the inevitable growth and evolution. So, I thought I’d go back and rephotograph some of the scenes to highlight these changes in the topography of the city. It was both fun and challenging, trying to find the spot where a photo was taken 40 years earlier, using the same focal length. It took me back to familiar places like Yonge Street, Queen Street, and the Junction.

Here is a sneak peak at my upcoming photography exhibit at the Viewpoint Gallery in Bedford, Nova Scotia, July 4-28, 2024.

Yonge Street, Toronto, 1982 and 2022 – © Avard Woolaver

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Queen West and Bathurst, Toronto, 1984 and 2022 – © Avard Woolaver

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Dundas West near Mavety, Toronto, 1984
Dundas West near Mavety, Toronto, 1984 – © Avard Woolaver

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Arriving by Train, Toronto, 2022 – © Avard Woolaver

exhibitions Photography

I’m always on the lookout for quirky, whimsical scenes. Photographer Elliott Erwitt, who passed away last year at age 95, was a master of capturing ironic and absurd situations within everyday settings. He’s certainly been an influence on my photography.

Here are some recent oddities that appeared in my viewfinder. In the words of American clergyman Douglas Horton, “Smile, it’s free therapy.”

Montreal, Quebec, 2024 – © Avard Woolaver

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Windsor, Nova Scotia, 2024 – © Avard Woolaver

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Ellershouse, Nova Scotia, 2024 – © Avard Woolaver

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Halifax, Nova Scotia, 2024 – © Avard Woolaver

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Newport Landing, Nova Scotia, 2024 – © Avard Woolaver

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Halifax, Nova Scotia, 2024 – © Avard Woolaver

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Waasis, New Brunswick, 2024 – © Avard Woolaver

Photography

My “Featured Member” exhibit at ViewPoint Gallery is a selection of photos covering my photographic journey from the late 1970s to the present day. The exhibit runs from Feb.1 – March 3, 2024.
I do social landscape photography and am interested in New Topographics—the human-altered landscape–recording how human behavior and activity has affected the world. I also look for whimsical scenes, as well as elements of surrealism found in everyday life. My work is firmly planted in the documentary tradition, getting photos through observation rather than through set-up and image manipulation. Photography keeps me in touch with the changing seasons and the passage of time. My images are intertwined with childhood memories, music, and locations around Hants County, Nova Scotia.
I got my start I photography in the late 70s at the Acadia University camera club, and I took photos for the school paper, The Athenaeum. After that, I studied photography at TMU (formerly Ryerson) in Toronto and worked for a time doing freelance jobs, as well as street photography.
Over the years I’ve learned always to carry a camera, and, even more important, to take time to study details of the world around me. In refining my vision and technique, I also strive for images that, I hope, carry some deeper meaning.
My work has been exhibited in Canada and, internationally, in France and China. It’s also featured online and in print: in blogTO, iNPUBLIC, the Toronto Star, the Japan Times, Eyeshot Magazine, Camera Canada, and Photo Life.
I have eight self-published photo books that are available online (through Blurb Books) and at the gallery.
In October 2023, I became a member of ViewPoint Gallery–a vibrant photo co-op with a group of talented photographers. It has been a pleasure connecting with like-minded people who are passionate about photography.
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City of Women, Edmonton, 1979 – © Avard Woolaver

I had a summer job on a railway gang in Alberta while studying at Acadia University. I started to explore the potential of street photography and using juxtaposition in my compositions.

Collage for Stephanie, 1980 – © Avard Woolaver

This collage is all about the transition from Wolfville, Nova Scotia, to a new life in Toronto. When we move to a new place, some things are kept while others are left behind.

Yonge Street Toronto, 1982 – © Avard Woolaver

I sometimes climbed fire escapes to get overhead views. After two years in Toronto, I felt comfortable going anywhere with my camera.

View of Mt. Fuji, Japan, 1992 – © Avard Woolaver

Mountain worshippers of the Shugendou religion watch the sunrise over Mt. Fuji.  I’d climbed the mountain two years earlier, but seeing the sunrise from this location was a more powerful experience.

Collingwood, Ontario 1995 – © Avard Woolaver

I found this birch bark in Algonquin Park on a canoeing trip, and used it as a mat. I always welcomed opportunities to get out of the city and into nature.

Escalators, Toronto, 1996 – © Avard Woolaver

I was still doing some of the adjacent frame diptych work that I started in 1982. I received two 12-exposure rolls of Kodak “Cosmos” 400 in a promotion, and this was shot on that rare and mysterious film.

Peggys Cove, Nova Scotia, 2010 – © Avard Woolaver and 2022 © –Jane Wilson

In 2010, I discovered Flickr and started posting photos online.  It started a renaissance in my photography that has continued for the past 14 years. I look for hooks to make my photos more interesting, like juxtaposition, scale, reflections, and unusual subject matter. My daughter Jane took some painting classes at NSCAD in 2022, and did a nice representation.

Summer, Truro, Nova Scotia, 2020 – © Avard Woolaver

Beauty and chaos in the modern world.  Interesting photos can be found anywhere–even in a McDonalds.

Viewpoint Gallery in Halifax, NS., Canada exhibits fine art photography. Viewpoint offers monthly exhibitions and a variety of photography focused events.

1475 Bedford Highway Unit 109, Bedford, NS  B4A 3Z5

 

 

 

 

 

Photography

Every year ViewPoint Gallery welcomes new exhibiting members with a “NewPoints” exhibition that showcases their work. I am pleased to be part of this exhibition along with Craig Benjamin and Heather Rose. It runs from January 4th – 28th with an artist talk on January 14th. The gallery is located at 1475 Bedford Highway, Unit 109, Bedford, Nova Scotia.

My portion of the show, titled Found Fields, features ten photos from my recently released photo book, available at Blurb Books. Below are the  exhibit photos with their captions.

Hammonds Plains, Nova Scotia, 2013 – © Avard Woolaver
This offers a bleak view of the present day—but with a hope that we can end our dependence on fossil fuels.

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Amherst, Nova Scotia, 2013 – © Avard Woolaver
A hope that renewable energy can lead us to a more sustainable world. This scene is reminiscent of Alex Colville’s 1954 painting Horse and Train; I think it’s the same location.

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And the forests will echo with laughter, Nova Scotia, 2011 – © Avard Woolaver
A nod to Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven.” These kids were playing among the trees on Canada Day in Hantsport, NS, before the fireworks display.

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Tokyo, Japan, 2020 – © Avard Woolaver
The sheer density of buildings and people in Tokyo can be overwhelming, but there is no shortage of interesting things to look at.

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Hantsport, Nova Scotia, 2023 – © Avard Woolaver
This was the finale of a fireworks display. It was a joyous event that looks apocalyptic if you don’t know the context.

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Brooklyn, Nova Scotia, 2013 – © Avard Woolaver
Off to the right was a road called “Muddy Marsh Road.” It was closed over fifty years ago, and there is little evidence it ever existed. I have memories of driving on this road with my father in a pickup truck when I was about five years old. This image is nostalgic for me and gets at the the beauty and mystery of life.

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Scotch Village, Nova Scotia, 2023 – © Avard Woolaver
If we take the time to observe the world around us, there are interesting photos everywhere.

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Montreal, Quebec, 2023 – © Avard Woolaver
A reminder that art can be timeless. Leonard Cohen’s music and poetry will continue to touch people’s hearts as society evolves and changes.

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Wolfville, Nova Scotia, 2010 – © Avard Woolaver
I think of this photo as “Cross-walker.” It reminds me of Johnny Cash’s “I Walk the Line,” a song of fidelity and sobriety.

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Windsor Forks, Nova Scotia, 2015 – © Avard Woolaver
Religion still plays a big role in the lives of many people, especially in small rural communities where elderly people sometimes outnumber younger folks.

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NewPoints Exhibition, 2024

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NewPoints Opening, 2024 – © Avard Woolaver

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NewPoints Opening, 2024 – © Avard Woolaver

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NewPoints Poster, 2024 – © Avard Woolaver

Photography