Toronto street photos from the 1980s

Toronto street photos, 1980s,
Nathan Phillips Square Toronto, 1982 – © Avard Woolaver

Here are some Toronto street photos from the 1980s. They are images that I scanned quite recently, and have not been previously posted or published. There is a certain satisfaction for me in re-discovering these photos that I took so long ago. They tell me a lot about how much the world has changed, and I myself have changed. And, conversely, they also remind me that so many basic things in the world remain unchanged.

As we cannot travel back in time, photographs are a way to come face to face with the past–to reconnect with it without actually going there. Photographs are also a good memory aid. There is so much information crammed into our brains that forty year old information can slip away very easily. It’s funny that I can remember very clearly taking some of these photos, yet others are a complete mystery. I only know that I must have taken it for a reason. A few photos in this post were taken for a school assignment at Ryerson called “Exploration of the frame” – new and novel ways to frame photos. I’m not sure if I succeeded.

These Toronto street photos bring me joy and feelings of nostalgia. It’s hard to separate them from the memories that surround them: good times with friends at school and at parties, endless hours in the darkroom, the joy of being young and alive with a head full of tunes.

Toronto street photos, 1980s,
Yonge Street, Toronto, 1982 – © Avard Woolaver

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Toronto street photos, 1980s,
College Street, Toronto, 1983 – © Avard Woolaver

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Toronto street photos, 1980s,
Gerrard and Parliament, Toronto, 1981 – © Avard Woolaver

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Toronto street photos, 1980s,
Carlton Street, Toronto, 1981 – © Avard Woolaver

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Toronto street photos, 1980s,
Yonge and Dundas, Toronto, 1982 – © Avard Woolaver

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Toronto street photos, 1980s,
Bay Street, Toronto, 1981 – © Avard Woolaver

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Toronto street photos, 1980s,
Pedestrians, Toronto, 1981 – © Avard Woolaver

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Toronto street photos, 1980s,
Pape Station, Toronto, 1983 – © Avard Woolaver

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Toronto street photos, 1980s,
Yonge and Dundas, Toronto, 1985 – © Avard Woolaver

3 Comments

  1. PedroL said:

    So amazing to see how it was Toronto 40 years ago, thanks for sharing 🙂 stay safe and cheers from Portugal, PedroL

    February 2, 2021
    • avardw said:

      Thank you, PedroL. I have never been to Portugal but hope to visit someday. Greetings from snowy Canada!

      February 2, 2021
      • PedroL said:

        Hope you manage to come 🙂 regards, PedroL

        February 2, 2021

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