Tag: <span>documentary</span>

Published August 11, 2021 by

Straight photos of unusual scenes

unusual scenes

For me, nothing beats a straight photo of an unusual scene. I’ve never had much interest in image manipulation after the photo has been taken. I’d rather see the scene and try to record it in an interesting way–a sort of truth is stranger than fiction approach.

There are plenty of famous photographers out there who have a knack for recording oddball scenes. Lee Friedlander, Martin Parr, and Elliott Erwitt are three that come to mind. Their images can make you laugh out loud, or shake your head in wonder. You ponder how they were able be in that place and capture that fleeting moment. Part of the answer, I think, is natural ability, but the bigger part is just practice. They were out shooting everyday, honing their skills, and sharpening their eye.

My photos of unusual scenes are mostly things I come across in everyday life. Seeing them sometimes makes me chuckle, or makes me think that the world is , indeed, a strange and wonderful place.

unusual scenes
Fredericton New Brunswick, 2019 – © Avard Woolaver

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unusual scenes
Briar Island, Nova Scotia, 2020 – © Avard Woolaver

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unusual scenes
Brooklyn, Nova Scotia, 2020 – © Avard Woolaver

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unusual scenes
Newport, Nova Scotia, 2011 – © Avard Woolaver

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Halifax, Nova Scotia, 2012 – © Avard Woolaver

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unusual scenes
Windsor, Nova Scotia, 2021 – © Avard Woolaver

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unusual scenes
Halifax, Nova Scotia, 2011 – © Avard Woolaver

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Newport Station, Nova Scotia, 2010 – © Avard Woolaver

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unusual scenes
Magnetic Hill, New Brunswick, 2011 – © Avard Woolaver

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For me, nothing beats a straight photo of an unusual scene. It's a sort of truth is stranger than fiction approach.
Blomidon, Nova Scotia, 2021 – © Avard Woolaver

Documentary Observation Photography

documentary observation photography unusual scenes Wish You Were Here

Published July 19, 2018 by

Yonge and Edward, Toronto, 1981

Avard Woolaver, Toronto, Toronto in the 1980s, 1981, Yonge and Edward, documentary photography,

Photos like this contain a lot of information, and I’m glad now I paused a few seconds to take it. The smokestack is the Walton Street steam plant, built in 1971. The Orange Crush sign was a fixture there for a few years. I liked it because it displayed the time and temperature, and also because it seemed to be crushing the building below. I don’t think I was ever in the Health Foods store, Kelly’s Stereo Mart, or Times Square Billiards. But I was often at the World’s Biggest Bookstore, which operated from 1980-2014. I went there many times. It was the kind of place that you never visited for just five minutes. There were so many interesting books, and the prices were good, too. They liked to play up their no frills image with slogans like, “Books priced so low even people who don’t read too good is buying them.” I remember buying Jack Kerouac’s The Dharma Bums there around this time. It was a hot summer afternoon and I walked across the sizzling pavement with the book (and camera) in my hand.

From the series: Toronto in the 1980s

 

Film Photography Photography Toronto

1981 analog photography Avard Woolaver documentary film photography Toronto Toronto in the 1980s Yonge Street

Published July 14, 2018 by

Sam the Record Man, Yonge Street, Toronto, 1981

Sam the Record Man, records, Toronto in the 1980s, Toronto, 1981, Avard Woolaver,

In my Ryerson days in the 1980s, I spent a lot of time in Sam the Record Man, as well as other record stores on the Yonge Street strip–A&A, Peter Dunn’s Vinyl Museum, Records on Wheels. Information about artists and recordings was not so easy to come by in those days and a lot of it came from reading liner notes. A lot of pleasurable browsing was involved before parting with five dollars. And, of course, I couldn’t wait to put it on my Dual turntable, through the Akai amp and Bose speakers. It was a kind of magic that wasn’t instantaneous (like today). It took a few hours and was well worth it–as I sat back afterwards and listened to The Grateful Dead’s American Beauty.

From the Flickr album: Toronto in the 1980s

Photography

1981 Avard Woolaver documentary photography Toronto in the 1980s

Published July 11, 2018 by

Dundas and Victoria, Toronto, 1983

Avard Woolaver, Toronto, Toronto Flashback (1980-1986), Yonge-Dundas Square, photography,

In 2003 this space became Yonge-Dundas Square – an effort by the city to create a version of New York’s Times Square. But twenty yeas earlier, when this photo was taken, it was a parking lot. There was a lot more open space in the city back then. also fewer cars, and fewer people. I was on my way to classes at Ryerson and climbed a fire escape to get this image. These days it would require a drone, or a cherry picker.

From the book: Toronto Flashback (1980-1986) – available through Blurb Books, and Amazon.

 

Colour New Topographics Photography

Avard Woolaver documentary film photography Toronto Toronto Flashback (1980-1986) Yonge-Dundas Square

Published October 10, 2017 by

With Information, Sometimes More is More

information, document,
© Avard Woolaver

With Information, Sometimes More is More (Day 10 of 31)

There’s an enormous sense of satisfaction that comes from being able to take the photo you want—not having to rely on stock photos or on other people’s work.

Much of the mental work required to take these photos lies in becoming a better editor. You learn to edit the objects included; edit the edges of the frame; edit the finished photos. Strip out and pare down. Such restrictions are effective and useful, and they make a streamlined and elegant photo possible.

But of course we’re not always trying to highlight one or two chosen objects. On photographer Eric Kim’s blog there is a great post called Ten Lessons Lee Friedlander Has Taught Me About Street Photography. I like a lot of Eric’s insights but the one I want to draw attention to is number 4: “Incorporate more content into your photos.” With more information your photos can become more interesting and visually complex. They hold the viewer’s attention for a longer time.

When the purpose of a photo is to document a situation, consider whether you want to eliminate details or pile them on by the truckload. If you’re capturing what a particular time and place contains, more information may be just what you want. In those cases, a wide-angle lens works well. Don’t zoom in or edit out; try instead to cram in details, edges, signs, labels, architecture, overhead wires, random occurrences, and stray animals darting across the path. It won’t be as peaceful a shot, but it will be one that’s filled with information.

(For the month of October 2017, I’m participating in the 31 Days bloggers’ challenge. You can find out about it here, and check out the interesting work other bloggers are posting.)

Blogging Photography

31 Days Avard Woolaver documentary information