street photography Archives - Page 5 of 8

Published June 13, 2019 by avardw

Nostalgia and Baby Boomers

Yonge Street, Toronto, 1980 – © Avard Woolaver

Nostalgia can be described as a sentimental longing for the past. It comes from the Greek nostos (homecoming) and algos (pain) and is thought to have been derived from Homer’s The Odyssey.

With baby boomers reaching their senior years, nostalgia seems to be their drug of choice. Advertisers target boomers with Beatles music, retro fashions, and even long dead actors such as Marilyn Munroe selling perfume. While boomers seem to be lapping it up, not everyone is crazy about the nostalgia bug. Heather Havrilesky writes in The Washington Post, “While griping about boomer nostalgia has become a somewhat common art, the cultural impact of that nostalgia transcends mere annoyance. Through sheer repetition and force of will, boomers have so thoroughly indoctrinated us into their worldview that we all now reflexively frame most current affairs through the lens of another generation’s formative experiences.” Abbey Hoffman might say not to trust anyone under 50!

I myself am a baby boomer. Born in 1958, I was six years old when the Beatles came to North America. I sang “A Hard Day’s Night” in my Grade One classroom, watched the moon landing on a fuzzy black and white TV, and took my Diana camera to Expo ’67 in Montreal. While I have nostalgia for those early years, the time I miss most was when I was in my early twenties, studying photography at Ryerson in Toronto.

The photos in this blog post capture the time that I am nostalgic for. They were taken in downtown Toronto in my early years of study. Everything was new and fresh, conversations were stimulating, photography was invigorating. Several of my classmates from that year became lifelong friends. Since returning to those days is impossible, I can make the journey with my retro photographs. It’s the next best thing.

The Junction, Toronto, 1982 – © Avard Woolaver

Eaton Centre, Toronto, 1983 – © Avard Woolaver

Bond Street, Toronto, 1981 – © Avard Woolaver

Yonge and College, Toronto, 1983 – © Avard Woolaver

Keele and St. Clair, Toronto, 1982 – © Avard Woolaver

The Flyer, Exhibition Park, Toronto, 1982 – © Avard Woolaver

Black and White Photography Toronto

1980s baby boomers film photography nostalgia street photography Toronto Toronto in the 1980s

Published March 24, 2019 by avardw

Edmonton, Alberta in 1979

Klondike Days, 1979, — Klondike Days, Edmonton, Alberta, 1979 – © Avard Woolaver

I worked in Alberta in the summer of 1979–a summer job on the railway gang and a break from my studies at Acadia University. I managed to get into Edmonton a few weekends that summer and was eager to photograph in an urban environment as I had been living in the small town of Wolfville and hadn’t done much city photography.

I would stay at a dive hotel off Jasper Avenue in Edmonton called the Gateway Hotel (now long gone)–$15 a night, or $16 with a small black and white TV. It was the most basic of accommodation but such a feeling of freedom and independence. I was twenty years old and free to explore the city with my camera–my Jack Kerouac days. And being alone was a big part of it. Photography for me, has mostly been a solitary pursuit. I don’t prefer to be with others when I’m wandering with my camera.

I remember the city being really quiet on Sundays. Almost no stores were open, but you could see a movie, go to the library, or to a restaurant. I saw Woody Allen’s Manhattan that summer and heard Blondie’s Heart of Glass for the first time in a department store. Alberta seemed like the wild west in some ways–lots of red necks driving pick-up trucks. But Edmonton is quite a cultural center with a thriving arts scene. I really enjoyed my time there.

Alberta, 1979, — Edmonton, Alberta, 1979 – © Avard Woolaver

Jasper Avenue, Edmonton, Alberta, 1979, — Jasper Avenue, Edmonton, Alberta, 1979 – © Avard Woolaver

Kinsmen Park, Edmonton, Alberta, 1979, — Kinsmen Park, Edmonton, Alberta, 1979 – © Avard Woolaver

Black and White Blogging Film Photography Photography

1979 Alberta Edmonton photography street photography

Published March 7, 2019 by avardw

Toronto streets in the 1980s

Dundas and Victoria, Toronto, 1982, Toronto streets, — Dundas and Victoria, Toronto, 1982 – © Avard Woolaver

I enjoyed capturing the Toronto streets in the 1980s. It was liberating to walk around with a camera and find that special moment when time and place come together. The time when the yellow van is stopped near the yellow hydrant, or when the boy is crossing Lake Devo on his BMX bike. The rhythm of the city was something I could feel, it was like listening to an urban symphony.

I was in my twenties then with few commitments or responsibilities. Life is much different now at 60, with a family, and living in rural Nova Scotia. I may never again have the opportunity to roam the Toronto streets with a camera like I did in the 1980s. It reminds me that life is short, and helps me remember, You only get to do this once. We have to take time and see it, as clearly as we can.

Photos in this post are from the book Toronto Days – available through Blurb Books and Amazon.

Lake Devo, Toronto, 1981, Toronto streets, — Lake Devo, Toronto, 1981 – © Avard Woolaver

Eastern Avenue, Toronto, 1983, Toronto streets, — Eastern Avenue, Toronto, 1983 – © Avard Woolaver

Dundas and Keele, Toronto, 1983, Toronto streets, — Dundas West and Keele, Toronto, 1983 – © Avard Woolaver

Yonge Street, Toronto, 1981 – © Avard Woolaver, Toronto streets, — Yonge Street, Toronto, 1985 – © Avard Woolaver

Queen and Bathurst, Toronto, 1983, Toronto streets, — Queen and Bathurst, Toronto, 1983 – © Avard Woolaver

Blogging Photography Toronto

1980s photography street photography Toronto Toronto streets

Published March 3, 2019 by avardw

Street Scenes in New York City, 1983

5th Avenue and East 36th Street, New York, 1983, New York City, — 5th Avenue and East 36th Street, New York, 1983 – © Avard Woolaver

I have only been to New York City three times in my life, but each visit there holds vivid memories. It’s an interesting experience to walk around Manhattan with a camera–so much human activity and so many interesting buildings and sights. But I must admit that I never felt very comfortable there. From my Canadian perspective, large American cities seem dangerous and in 1983, New York City was a bit run down and dodgy in certain areas.

These photos were taken on a Ryerson school trip in early November, 1983. I used a Rollei 35S with Tri-X film and shot about six rolls of film over two days. I was looking for interesting scenes and bits of human interaction. Decades later when I scanned the negatives, I found information about the photos that I didn’t know at the time. For instance, the busker playing saxophone was an 18 year old Vincent Herring–a noted jazz saxophonist. Also the invasion of Grenada had just taken place–something I wasn’t really aware of at the time.

Looking at these photos makes me want to go back again, to capture new images and form new memories.

5th Avenue, New York, 1983, New York City, — 5th Avenue, New York, 1983 – © Avard Woolaver

New York, 1983, New York City, — New York, 1983 – © Avard Woolaver – “Perspectiva Mundial” – Spanish monthly for the Socialist Workers Party. Taken in early November, 1983, about two weeks after the American invasion of Grenada.

Vincent Herring, New York, 1983, New York City, — Vincent Herring, New York, 1983 – © Avard Woolaver

MoMA, New York, 1983, New York City, — MoMA, New York, 1983 – © Avard Woolaver – Jackson Pollock, “Number 1A”, (1948)

Three-card Monte, New York, 1983, New York City, — Three-card Monte, New York, 1983 – © Avard Woolaver

Meatpacking District, New York, 1983, New York City, — Meatpacking District, New York, 1983 – © Avard Woolaver

Black and White Blogging Photography

New York New York City street photography

Published February 26, 2019 by avardw

Thinking of Lee Friedlander

Newport, Nova Scotia, 2010, Lee Friedlander, — Newport, Nova Scotia, 2010 – © Avard Woolaver

I’ve been a fan of Lee Friedlander since I discovered his photographs in 1978, in a book titled Concerning Photography. His photos are bursting with creativity, intelligence and deadpan humour–they seem to be the visual equivalent of jazz music. He has been one of my main sources of photographic inspiration over the years.

Lee Friedlander, famous for his pioneering photos of the urban social landscape, has a talent for filling his photos with visual content without making them seem overly crowded. Eric Kim writes on his blog, “Friedlander was very conscious of how he framed his scenes, and wanted to add more complexity to his shots through adding content of interest.”

He accomplished this by using a wide-angle lens—usually a 35mm. That way objects in the foreground can remain in focus along with background elements. Though complexity is not always the answer, it certainly adds interest.

Friedlander also welcomed 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.”

I have included some photos on this post that are my attempt to speak the “language of Lee.” They remind me why I love taking photos. In his words, “You don’t have to go looking for pictures. The material is generous. You go out and the pictures are staring at you.”