Category: <span>Photography</span>

Published December 14, 2018 by

Sometimes Photos Resemble Paintings

Avard Woolaver, Toronto, photos resemble paintings,
Elm Street at Yonge (looking west), Toronto, 1982  © Avard Woolaver

Sometimes photos resemble paintings–whether it’s the lighting, the subject matter, or the mood. Some photographers recreate paintings as photographs like Laura Hofstadter with her self-portrait series. Also many painters use photographs as a reference when they paint.

I had always thought that this 1982 photograph of Elm Street in Toronto looked like a painting, but no painter came to mind. Then my social media friend Amy Dix suggested that it looked like something by English artist L.S. Lowry. I could immediately see the similarity. 

The above photo was taken from the rooftop of Sam the Record Man–the iconic record store. These days it’s the location of The Ryerson Student Centre, an amazing creation of function and design. In 2018, I managed to get a photo of Elm street  through a window, maybe on the 4th floor. It’s great to compare the old with the new, and see the changes over the past 36 years.

Avard Woolaver, Toronto, photos resemble paintings,

Elm Street at Yonge (looking west), Toronto, 1982, appears in the book Toronto Flashback (1980-1986) and is available through Blurb Books.

Blogging Photography

analog photography Avard Woolaver film photography photo book Toronto Toronto Flashback (1980-1986)

Published December 13, 2018 by

My Favourite Light

Avard Woolaver, Nova Scotia, New Topographics, black and white, photography, light,
Windsor, Nova Scotia, 2018                            © Avard Woolaver

Photographers are drawn to light like moths to a flame. It’s the key ingredient in many good photos. This photo shows my favourite type–bright winter light overhead, illuminating wet pavement. I love the silver glow and the high contrast–it looks great in black and white.

The photo is taken in the style of American photographer Lee Friedlander who welcomes foreground obstructions such as poles and trees as a way of creating visual interest. He explains, “Somebody else could walk two feet away to get those poles and tress and other stuff out of the way, I almost walk two feet to get into it, because it is a part of the game that I play. It isn’t even conscious; I probably just drift into it… its like a found pleasure. You’ve found something that you like and you play with it for the rest of your life.”

Friedlander also loves sunlight so much that he often doesn’t shoot outside on overcast days; he doesn’t want to take lifeless photos. As for me, I welcome all kinds of lighting conditions but am always on the lookout for my favourite light.

Blogging Photography

Avard Woolaver Lee Friedlander light new topographics Nova Scotia photography

Published December 12, 2018 by

Clouds, Newport, Nova Scotia

Avard Woolaver, Nova Scotia, clouds, sky, stratocumulus,
Newport, Nova Scotia, 2016                     © Avard Woolaver

In my childhood, I spent many hours looking at the sky, studying clouds. I still love looking at the sky, but these days usually have a camera handy.

The sky is often the most interesting and dramatic before, or after a storm. This one was taken just after an October storm. The sky took on an amazing hue; there was a rainbow over to my left. And the clouds kind of blew my mind. I looked up the variety, and they seem to be stratocumulus–low, lumpy layers of clouds. They look more like sheep’s wool than any other clouds I have seen.

Blogging Photography

Avard Woolaver blog clouds colour landscape Nova Scotia photography sky The Image Journey

Published December 11, 2018 by

Montreal, Quebec, 1983

Avard Woolaver, Montreal, 1983, Kodachrome,
Montreal, Quebec, 1983 © Avard Woolaver

When taking photos I look for good light, and try to get an interesting moment, if possible. But there is also a matter of composition–how to divide the space. There are no hard and fast rules, but I often attempt to divide the frame into three or more sections. I first saw this in the photographs of Tony Ray-Jones and Lee Friedlander. There was a lot going on in the frame–a kind of unified complexity.

This  photo was taken in Montreal in 1983. My friend Stephane is on the right and we were off to celebrate Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day. I’m glad I got this Kodachrome moment.

Blogging Photography

analog photography Avard Woolaver composition film photography Kodachrome Montreal street photography

Published December 10, 2018 by

Payphones, Toronto, 1982

Avard Woolaver, Toronto, payphones, 1982, colour,
Toronto, Ontario, 1982 © Avard Woolaver

Payphones used to be everywhere. When I did street photography in Toronto in the eighties, I didn’t go out of my way to photograph them. Yet, they appear in so many of my shots. I remember my first answering machine from the mid-eighties–I could actually get my messages remotely from a payphone with the aid of a little beeper. My, times have changed!

Photography Toronto

1982 Avard Woolaver payphones Toronto