The famous Spadina bus (77B) is visible in the photo. Check out the Shuffle Demons with their 1986 hit that was a fitting tribute to this bus:
From the book Toronto Days. You can preview, and buy it here:
http://www.blurb.ca/b/8537132-toronto-days
Category: <span>Black and White</span>
From the series: Toronto in the 1980s
More Toronto photos here.
Friday roundup, July 28, 2017. Here are some news stories that caught my eye, and ear, on social media this week: #fbf
Martha and the Muffins – Echo Beach,
Lee Friedlander’s Photos of 1960s T.V. Sets,
Pumpkin the great white shark feasting in Nova Scotia’s Minas Basin,
$20M Annie Leibovitz collection rejected for 4th time by Canadian tribunal,
Arundhati Roy, Zadie Smith & George Saunders among 13 authors longlisted for the Man Booker Prize,
‘Keeping Grandpa alive’: the internet’s photographic treasure hunt,
Wonderful photos from Montreal’s Robert Saucier,
Harry Chapin “Taxi” – Midnight Special (1973)
“Al Green performing at Summer Beat, Toronto, 1984” is from the series: Toronto Days
I recently watched Don’t Blink, a fascinating documentary on the life and work of photographer Robert Frank. Now 92, Frank is considered, by many, one of the greatest living photographers—and seeing this documentary reminded me that his ground-breaking photographs from The Americans are still relevant, nearly sixty years after publication.
It occurs to me now watching Don’t Blink that it is the emotional impact of his work that makes it special. His documentary photos from the 50s seem timeless, especially since the same social and racial issues he exposed then are still seen today.
Robert Frank was one of my earliest influences when I first discovered photography. I was struck by his photos’ emotional impact, their grittiness, their raw power.
In Don’t Blink, Frank is asked, “What makes a picture good?” He replies, “Mostly I get people when they are not aware of the camera. And usually the first picture was the best one. Once someone is aware of the camera it becomes a different picture; people change.” For him, art is a spontaneous and free-flowing process. It’s something we can apply in today’s digital world, where imaging making has become more glossy and contrived. It makes me want to take photos with my gut—pictures that have emotional impact.
If you have not seen Don’t Blink, TVO (TVOntario) is streaming the film for free until July 9 at the link below. I highly recommend it.
http://tvo.org/video/documentaries/dont-blink-robert-frank
Dundas and Victoria, Toronto, 1981 is from the series: Toronto Days
Friday roundup, June 2, 2017. Here are some news stories that caught my eye, and ear, on social media this week: #fbf
Always fresh? Canada’s Tim Hortons coffee chain steams into UK,
Sgt. Pepper at 50: 20 fascinating facts about the Beatles’ landmark album,
Sgt. Pepper: the Canadian connection,
Remembering Toronto’s famed club “Nuts and Bolts”,
Brilliant photos from Japan’s Shin Noguchi,
‘We considered ourselves dead’: the explosive tale of Mad Max’s rocket car,
Why Instagram would rather posts disappear than be deleted by users,
“Lock, Stock, and Teardrops” – the incomparable k.d. lang
Front Street East, Toronto, 1995 is from the Facebook series: Toronto Days