Photo essay of Spadina Avenue, 2005-2008. Please click on the photos for the larger image. The notes that I've added here are in addition to the text of the essay itself.
Page 1 - Spadina Avenue starts over.
What was once industrial land is now part of the massive City Place development. Shown here is the first phase of the project, which fronts on to Front Street.
To take this photo I've turned away from the CN Tower and Rogers Center (nee Skydome) with the astonishing Olympus 7-14mm ultra-wide lens.
What was once industrial land is now part of the massive City Place development. Shown here is the first phase of the project, which fronts on to Front Street.
To take this photo I've turned away from the CN Tower and Rogers Center (nee Skydome) with the astonishing Olympus 7-14mm ultra-wide lens.
Page 2 - Things change.
The Macgregor sock factory defied the trend when the space it vacated became more offices instead of condominiums, which is now the dominant building form in the Fashion District.
Things change. The images are stylistically similar, but the factory shot using the four-year-old E-1 and basic telephoto lens, while the thimble is a composite of two photographs taken with the new E-3 and an exceptional f/2.0 zoom. If only I had then what I have now!
The Macgregor sock factory defied the trend when the space it vacated became more offices instead of condominiums, which is now the dominant building form in the Fashion District.
Things change. The images are stylistically similar, but the factory shot using the four-year-old E-1 and basic telephoto lens, while the thimble is a composite of two photographs taken with the new E-3 and an exceptional f/2.0 zoom. If only I had then what I have now!
page 3 - Food on Spadina.
Taken during the lunch hour on a summer weekday, the photo on the left shows a lull in the crowd. The north-west corner of Dundas and Spadina is home to many fruit stands and grocery markets. On the south side of Dundas is Gold Stone Noodle, a busy and restaurant where the staff put the "imp" in "personal service".
I love photography in bad weather, and the deep hood of the 35-100 lens makes it perfect for snow. I still don't enjoy being cold and wet.
Taken during the lunch hour on a summer weekday, the photo on the left shows a lull in the crowd. The north-west corner of Dundas and Spadina is home to many fruit stands and grocery markets. On the south side of Dundas is Gold Stone Noodle, a busy and restaurant where the staff put the "imp" in "personal service".
I love photography in bad weather, and the deep hood of the 35-100 lens makes it perfect for snow. I still don't enjoy being cold and wet.
page 4 - Shopping in the rain.
To the north-west of Spadina and Dundas is Kensington Market, which is completely different from Chinatown with the single exception of the crowds. It's a choice between a main street and a bustling back alley, with different cultures and histories creating them.
Nowhere in the photos of this series is the actual street of Spadina Avenue visible. These two photographs, with streetcars in the distance, are as close as it gets.
To the north-west of Spadina and Dundas is Kensington Market, which is completely different from Chinatown with the single exception of the crowds. It's a choice between a main street and a bustling back alley, with different cultures and histories creating them.
Nowhere in the photos of this series is the actual street of Spadina Avenue visible. These two photographs, with streetcars in the distance, are as close as it gets.
page 5 - The University district.
The Wolfond Centre is a new building with an intriguing design, making it an important addition to the culture and diversity of the area. It was only after shooting dozens of photos of it that I learned it was designed by a friend of the family.
An indoor photograph, the Soldier's Tower is as far from Spadina Avenue as this series gets. Creating the series' second old-and-new comparison, it represents the traditional aspects of the university.
Like the opening image, these photos were taken at an ultra-wide 7mm, but with different cameras. These images are from my two "backup" bodies, the Olympus E-510 and E-300. This series was created for the invitation-only "Photographer Of The Year" competition (2007) held by fourthirdsphoto.com, a popular forum predominantly catering to Olympus users.
The Wolfond Centre is a new building with an intriguing design, making it an important addition to the culture and diversity of the area. It was only after shooting dozens of photos of it that I learned it was designed by a friend of the family.
An indoor photograph, the Soldier's Tower is as far from Spadina Avenue as this series gets. Creating the series' second old-and-new comparison, it represents the traditional aspects of the university.
Like the opening image, these photos were taken at an ultra-wide 7mm, but with different cameras. These images are from my two "backup" bodies, the Olympus E-510 and E-300. This series was created for the invitation-only "Photographer Of The Year" competition (2007) held by fourthirdsphoto.com, a popular forum predominantly catering to Olympus users.
page 6 - Summer and winter.
I'm afraid that this series doesn't give a good impression of Toronto's weather. What it does offer is variety as these photos of the JCC show.
This is the end of Spadina Avenue, but not the end of the street: Spadina Road continues north, but with a very different character than the Avenue. It was once even pronounced differently: the working-class residents called their home Spa'die'na, while the upper classes pronounced it Spa'dee'na. Spadina House, next to Casa Loma on Spadina Road, is the last vestige of the "spadeena" pronunciation. The word itself was taken from an Ojibway word ishpadinaa, meaning "ridge" or "hill".
Thanks for looking.
I'm afraid that this series doesn't give a good impression of Toronto's weather. What it does offer is variety as these photos of the JCC show.
This is the end of Spadina Avenue, but not the end of the street: Spadina Road continues north, but with a very different character than the Avenue. It was once even pronounced differently: the working-class residents called their home Spa'die'na, while the upper classes pronounced it Spa'dee'na. Spadina House, next to Casa Loma on Spadina Road, is the last vestige of the "spadeena" pronunciation. The word itself was taken from an Ojibway word ishpadinaa, meaning "ridge" or "hill".
Thanks for looking.
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