No Money Down – Toronto (1980-1986)

No Money Down – Toronto (1980-1986) is available through Blurb Books and Amazon.

No Money Down – Toronto (1980-1986) documents the city of Toronto, Canada, in the 1980s. It is a follow-up to my first book: Toronto Flashback (1980-1986).

I grew up in rural Nova Scotia and moved to Toronto in 1980 to study photography at Ryerson Polytechnical Institute. I did a lot of street photography in those years, capturing street scenes with fresh eyes.

From the introduction: These photos were taken in the early days of my twenty years in Toronto. I’d just moved there to study photography at Ryerson, and I found myself inundated with new images and experiences. Whenever you’re plunked down in a wholly changed environment, there’s lots of space to create new memories. Leafing back through my archived slides while pulling together this book, I found I could remember taking so many of these shots. And, of course, there were many others I had no recollection of taking, pictures from places I couldn’t remember being and sometimes couldn’t even identify. Moments fly past us, noticed or unnoticed, all with their particular shadings of beauty and uniqueness.

When I look back on that time, everyday routines and unforgettable events are all mixed up together. I lived in a gritty neighbourhood near the school and spent hours walking around downtown Toronto with my camera. I was simultaneously watching and participating in the life of this new city. I had french fries at least once a day, usually at a diner, usually late at night. Squirrels got into my apartment through an open window and chewed my prized Bose speakers to shreds.

Our Ryerson professors gave us assignments like photographing shadows, or reflections, or exploring the use of the frame; this guidance helped me walk the pavements with intention and with something to learn each day. I carried a Konica SLR at first, and later a tiny Rollei 35S; they were my constant companions. Being frugal with film was important to me, since I was on a student budget–usually I shot just one or two frames of a scene. Most of the photos in this book were one-offs.

In those years, walking with my camera gave me a way of getting to know this new city at the same time I was getting to know myself and honing my skills as a photographer. My shyness faded. Toronto became a place I felt at home. I lived there for years–I got married, had children, and felt completely a part of things.

Looking back now at the photos I spent my precious film on back then, so much comes back to me about dropped into a new environment. We use our creative tools as extensions of ourselves; they help us understand and define our place in the world. For me, having a camera in my hand at all times helped me remember, You only get to do this once. We have to take time and see it, as clearly as we can.

No Money Down – Toronto (1980-1986)
photographs by Avard Woolaver
Paperback, 100 pages
20 x 25 cm / 8 x 10 in.