Tag: <span>Yonge Street</span>

Published February 18, 2019 by

Show Some Emotion

Yonge Street, Toronto, 1982, emotion,
Yonge Street, Toronto, 1982 – © Avard Woolaver

I’ve always been amazed at how images, like words, can convey so much emotion. I have always thought of black and white photography as an abstract medium and colour photography as a psychological medium. American photographer Elliot Erwitt said, “With colour you describe; with black and white you interpret.” If it’s true that colour appeals to our emotion and leaves less to our imagination, then it makes sense for us to be judicious in using it.

This can have a lot to do with how the photo is framed—how much of a particular colour, or colours to leave in or crop out.  When I view a scene, then, I look for ways to combine colours–for me, it’s about balance. Sometimes a tiny splash of red is enough to counteract a sea of green, or a little orange goes well with a lot of blue. There are no hard and fast rules here, but the conscious combining of colour is something to keep in mind when you’re out taking photos.

On Instagram there are dozens of filters to choose from, each giving the image a certain look, but it seems the most-used Instagram filter is “normal”–that is, roughly the colours our eye sees. And that’s good news for an old-school guy (like me) who believes that colour is something to be observed, not added with a filter.

Blogging Film Photography Photography Toronto

1982 colour colour photography emotion Toronto Yonge Street

Published November 26, 2018 by

Show Biz, Yonge Street, Toronto, 1984

Avard Woolaver, Toronto in the 1980s, Toronto, documentary, black and white,

Show Biz was a student hangout when I was attending Ryerson–a place to unwind with friends and enjoy good food and beer. The super long curly fries were memorable, and it was the first place where tried escargot (very tasty!).  There is a view of Edward Street out the window–location of Toronto landmark, The World’s Biggest Bookstore.

You’ll notice a stubby beer bottle in the foreground and a long neck bottle in the background. In the years 1982-1986 there was a transition from the stubby to the long neck. I miss the stubby, but it is available now from some craft brewers.

My friends Mark and Iris are sitting over by the window, likely talking about photography. I miss those days.

Photography Toronto

Avard Woolaver Show Biz Toronto Yonge Street

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 April 13, 2017 by

Throwback Thursday and nostalgia

#tbt, Throwback Thursday, nostalgia, Yonge Street, Toronto, movie theatre, 1985,
Yonge Street, Toronto, 1985                  © Avard Woolaver

I have always enjoyed looking at old photos—newspaper clippings or photo albums from my past or other peoples’ past. There is a kind of comfort in it—a chance to connect with the old days, to see and experience history without going there.

Throwback Thursday, with hashtag #tbt, has been a phenomenon since 2011 with people posting or reposting older photographs on social media. It turns out that Throwback Thursday has a positive psychological impact. Colleen Leahey writes in Fortune, “Sharing old photos is a fun way to remember the good ol’ days, but it may also help people counteract feeling alone. A 2008 study published in Psychological Science found that nostalgia alleviates feelings of social exclusion.” The study’s authors wrote, “The past, when appropriately harnessed, can strengthen psychological resistance to the vicissitudes of life.”

So that’s a good reason to post and view those old photos of bell bottoms, and peace signs; or Pokemon, and flash mobs.

Black and White Documentary Film Photography Photography Social Media

#tbt 1985 Avard Woolaver movie theatre nostalgia Throwback Thursday Toronto Toronto Days Yonge Street