Category: <span>Black and White</span>

Published April 13, 2017 by

Throwback Thursday and nostalgia

#tbt, Throwback Thursday, nostalgia, Yonge Street, Toronto, movie theatre, 1985,
Yonge Street, Toronto, 1985                  © Avard Woolaver

I have always enjoyed looking at old photos—newspaper clippings or photo albums from my past or other peoples’ past. There is a kind of comfort in it—a chance to connect with the old days, to see and experience history without going there.

Throwback Thursday, with hashtag #tbt, has been a phenomenon since 2011 with people posting or reposting older photographs on social media. It turns out that Throwback Thursday has a positive psychological impact. Colleen Leahey writes in Fortune, “Sharing old photos is a fun way to remember the good ol’ days, but it may also help people counteract feeling alone. A 2008 study published in Psychological Science found that nostalgia alleviates feelings of social exclusion.” The study’s authors wrote, “The past, when appropriately harnessed, can strengthen psychological resistance to the vicissitudes of life.”

So that’s a good reason to post and view those old photos of bell bottoms, and peace signs; or Pokemon, and flash mobs.

Black and White Documentary Film Photography Photography Social Media

#tbt 1985 Avard Woolaver movie theatre nostalgia Throwback Thursday Toronto Toronto Days Yonge Street

Published March 20, 2017 by

Photos remind me of songs

music, songs, treble clef, sound, vision,
Treble Clef, Halifax, NS; 2012               © Avard Woolaver       

With the digital revolution, there are more and more photos being taken. It can seem that any particular photo has already been taken numerous times. An interesting piece by Teju Cole in the New York Times relates that photos we see can remind us of other photos. In my case, they often remind me of songs.

A photo of Route 14 in Hants County, Nova Scotia, inevitably brings to mind John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads.”  Railroad tracks remind me of Chuck Berry’s “Johnny B. Goode.” Strip malls remind me of Talking Heads “Once in a Lifetime,” and springtime calls forth “Here Comes the Sun” by the Beatles.

Here’s a finding that interests me: “Brain process involved in sight have found the visual cortex also uses information gleaned from the ears as well as the eyes when viewing the world.” This is according to a team of neuroscientists at the Institute of Neuroscience and Psychology at the University of Glasgow. Professor Lars Muckli, who led the research, explained in an article for their university magazine, “Sounds create visual imagery, mental images, and automatic projections.”

Sometimes it’s the imagery in the song; sometimes it’s linked to a memory associated with the song.

“Don’t you wonder sometimes ’bout sound and vision,” David Bowie asked us in the song “Sound and Vision.” Yes, we do.

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Photo tip:  Think of a few of your favourite songs and try to take photos that match them.

Black and White Blogging Documentary Observation Photography Social Landscape

2012 Avard Woolaver black and white found objects Nova Scotia observation sound treble clef vision

Published March 16, 2017 by

Candid versus posed photos

candid, posed, portrait, street, Toronto, Allan Gardens,
Allan Gardens, Toronto; 1982                           © Avard Woolaver

You have probably been in a street environment where there’s an opportunity to take a candid portrait and you know that calling attention to the camera will spoil the moment. What to do? Many factors come into it; the country you’re in, the purpose of your photograph, whether you think the person objects to having their photo taken. It depends very much on the circumstances–but the bottom line is to have respect for the subject.

Magnum photographer Carolyn Drake relates, “It depends on the circumstances. There is a pleasure in disappearing behind the camera on a crowded city street, and sometimes making the picture before the conversation makes for a more surprising picture. But if there’s someone I want to pose or spend time with, or who for some other reason it seems to make sense to ask, then I will. It’s a judgement call.”

In my experience, I have had success in engaging with the person, and asking, “May I take your photo?” Then I may look for more candid moments as I take some photos. Spending a little time with people and engaging with them may lead to more authentic portraits.

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Photo tip: Try making the subject’s environment part of the portrait. These details can help form a narrative about the person.

Black and White Documentary Photography Portrait Social Landscape

1982 Allan Gardens Avard Woolaver black and white candid documentary portrait posed Toronto Toronto Days

Published March 2, 2017 by

Have your camera ready as the photo moment passes quickly

street photography, candid, photo moment
Keele Street, Toronto; 1984                                                 © Avard Woolaver

You may have had the unfortunate experience of coming upon an interesting scene only to discover that your camera is not in your bag. Or you realize that your cell phone is back at home. Or there is no film in your camera. There are any number of scenarios, but the conclusion is that you missed the moment: you missed the shot. This has happened to me numerous times and I always vow to never let it happen again.

Capturing the moment has been one of the key aspects of photography from the very beginning. Photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson coined the term “the decisive moment” in 1952. He said, “To me, photography is the simultaneous recognition, in a fraction of a second, of the significance of an event as well as of a precise organization of forms which give that event its proper expression.” There has been much debate as to whether one moment is more decisive than another, nonetheless, if there is a moment we are after it is important to be prepared for it.

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Photo tip: Be as ready as you can–batteries charged, space on the memory card, film in the camera, etc. When you are anticipating a good moment try to position yourself so that what is in background will be unobtrusive. And be patient–it can happen when you least expect it.

Keele Street, Toronto; 1984 is from the series Toronto Days and appears in Photo Vogue.

Black and White Documentary Film Photography Photography Social Landscape

1984 Avard Woolaver black and white street photography Toronto Toronto Days

Published February 23, 2017 by

Scale can be deceiving in photographs

scale, photography, Peggys Cove, Nova Scotia,
Peggys Cove, Nova Scotia, 2010   © Avard Woolaver

Scale can be deceiving in photographs, and sometimes it intended to be that way. A photograph can be both fact and fiction, both a document and a lie. It may contain numerous narratives that spring from our imagination. It can be staged or manipulated in Photoshop, yet still be a document. These days the line between fact and fiction has become blurred.

According to photographer Martin Parr, “Most of the photographs in your paper, unless they are hard news, are lies. Fashion pictures show people looking glamorous. Travel pictures show a place looking at its best, nothing to do with the reality. In the cookery pages, the food always looks amazing, right? Most of the pictures we consume are propaganda.”

My photography has always been rooted in the documentary tradition–I’m not one for manipulation, or post-production. Most everything is achieved by where I stand and when I take the photo–(light is a crucial component as well). But sometimes I aim to take photos that are ambiguous. They look like manipulated photos, yet they are not. Using scale is one way to achieve this sense of ambiguity.

This photo was taken in Peggys Cove, Nova Scotia,–a place that is both beautiful and surreal. The rocks in the frame are actually much smaller than the house, but you may disagree!

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Photo tip:  Scale provides a frame of reference. A person or object is often put in the frame as a reference point. Try creating tension by including an object of unknown size in the frame.

Black and White Documentary New Topographics Observation Photography Social Landscape

Avard Woolaver black and white documentary house Nova Scotia Peggys Cove rocks scale