Tag: <span>1984</span>

Published November 30, 2018 by

Yonge and Dundas, Toronto, 1984

Avard Woolaver, Yonge and Dundas, Toronto, Yonge Dundas Square, 1984,

This part of Toronto’s Yonge-Dundas Square is unrecognizable today, but this is how it looked in 1984. The photo was taken on Dundas East, looking west toward the intersection of Yonge and Dundas, and the Eaton Centre.

The Square was created in 2003 in an effort by the city to create a version of New York’s Times Square, or London’s Piccadilly Circus. The block of buildings on the left (with the Coles sign) was demolished, and the seven foot bronze sculpture “Bird of Spring” by Inuit artist Abraham Etungat was moved to the nearby Ryerson Community Park (aka the Quadrangle). The trees were also removed–critics of the development said that the city missed out on the opportunity for more green space in the downtown core.

There was a lot more open space in the city back in 1984, which meant more light on the downtown streets. It was about ten years before the start of the condo boom. There is a PCC streetcar (known as the Red Rocket) visible down at the intersection. People are out walking in the the September sun. Change and progress are inevitable, but I like to remember the Toronto of the 1980s. Call me nostalgic!

Here is what Yonge-Dundas Square looks like in a 2014 photo. The 1984 photo was taken below the red billboard on the right.

Yonge-Dundas Square, Toronto,

 

Photography Toronto

1984 Avard Woolaver Toronto Yonge-Dundas Square

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