Reflections create another layer of reality in a photo. It can be like gazing into an alternate world, or listening to the layered sound in a Brian Eno recording.
When I was a boy I would walk around the house looking down into a mirror. The reflections of the ceiling created a whole new space to walk in. Several years later when I first picked up a camera, I was drawn once again to layered images found in mirrors, windows, and water.
With the winter season upon us and frigid temperatures outside, it’s nice to remember summer and those hot sunny days at the beach. I choose to remember summer with this photo of Cherry Beach in Toronto, taken in 1982. Sooner than we know it, it will be here.
I took this photo in 1981, in an alleyway in the east end of Toronto. A lot has changed since then including the slogan on Ontario license plates. This one says “Keep It Beautiful,” which was the slogan from 1973-1982. Since 1982 it has been “Yours to Discover.” With Ontario’s current high debt, and a climate change crisis underway, I think a more appropriate slogan should be: “Ontario – Make It Sustainable.”
The car is a 1965 Chevrolet Impala station wagon, purchased from Robertson Motors (Chev/Olds) – Coxwell and Danforth. The dealership, car, and plate are probably long gone now. Yes, a lot has changed, but with government policy and forward thinking, I hope we can enjoy a sustainable future.
Photography is a great way to show the passage of time. The top frame was taken in 1980, and the bottom one was taken 39 years later in 2019. It was taken in Windsor, Nova Scotia. The scene, that looks west toward the Annapolis Valley, was a farmer’s field in 1980. There was a gate which was an interesting illustration of Windsor’s status as “gateway to the Annapolis Valley.” There were oil tanks in the background and No Exit signs reminiscent of Hotel California.
The scene looks quite different 39 years later. Highway 101 on the left is being twinned–changed from a single lane to double lane highway. On the place where I took the photo, there is now a roundabout. There are power lines, a stop sign, and a pedestrian sign. But most notably, there is a Petro-Canada service station and Tim Hortons restaurant on the right.
Change is inevitable, and hard to say what constitutes progress. Small farms are disappearing and urban areas are on the rise. In these two photos we see a transition from agri-culture to pop-culture. At some point, around 2006 I think, the gate was left open and commerce came charging in. What will this scene look like 39 years from now? I can only hope it’s filled with wind turbines and solar panels.
High angle photography has always interested me. You get a different perspective with a bird’s eye view of the world. High angle shots have been used as a technique in cinema to create drama and make the subject seem weak or vulnerable. Or, as a wide shot to establish the scene.
In my younger days living in Toronto, I used to climb fire escapes to get a different view of the streets and architecture. These days, I take fewer risks, but I still look for high angle locations. The photo above was taken from the reading room at the Halifax Central Library. It’s a fifth floor cantilever that juts out over the entrance and provides and great view of the nearby intersection.
