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In early 2016 I felt a strong need to photographically explore a 15-block area in Toronto, known as the Financial District. I wanted to better understand the environment where 250,000 people worked and commuted each workday, in its unique Canadian context. In particular, I wanted to understand the people who worked in this district, the characteristics of our society reflected in this influx of working people, and the nature of Canada’s largest financial district.
Toronto’s financial district, a concentrated 15 block urban area consisting of the tallest buildings and highest urban density in Canada, is a critical driver of the Canadian economy. It is the headquarters for all of Canada’s big six banks and is the second largest financial district in North America after New York City. Further it is the eight largest financial districts in the world after such cities as: London, Hong Kong, Singapore, Tokyo, Seoul and Zurich. Toronto’s financial district contains the highest concentration of workers in the country, most being employed in the financial and insurance industries.
The importance and distinct nature of this highly concentrated district to Canada and the mass movement of people in and out of the district daily intrigued me as a photographer. It is a unique phenomenon to the Canadian culture, one that hasn’t been extensively photographed. I set out with a camera in early 2016 to capture the district and the people that inhabited it during the workweek. Having photographed for over 40 years, I was however new to the genre of street photography, the style in which I wanted to photograph this project. Workshops with two master photographers and an extensive study of the history of photography had shown me the importance of including people in my photographs. Making photographs of people on the street seems simplistic, as it is easy to capture people walking in a busy urban area. Yet the reality of this form of photography is that it is difficult and extremely challenging to obtain good photographs. Candid moments that capture emotion, humour and unique gestures, are moments in time difficult to find and almost impossible to photograph successfully.
The more time I have spent photographing and strolling in this district the more familiar the area has become resulting in better photographs. Capturing the true character of this 15-block area, has involved making photographs of the commuters, people walking, taking breaks and interacting. Support workers and financial workers. Photographing in the lobbies, through the windows, on the streets and back alleys. Walking, exploring and keen observation have conceded many interesting moments, some compelling, while others just part of ordinary life, yet all genuine and real. Undeniably what I love most about candid street photography is the moments shared that are part of everyday life, unfiltered and seen by me, the casual observer.
Toronto’s financial district, a concentrated 15 block urban area consisting of the tallest buildings and highest urban density in Canada, is a critical driver of the Canadian economy. It is the headquarters for all of Canada’s big six banks and is the second largest financial district in North America after New York City. Further it is the eight largest financial districts in the world after such cities as: London, Hong Kong, Singapore, Tokyo, Seoul and Zurich. Toronto’s financial district contains the highest concentration of workers in the country, most being employed in the financial and insurance industries.
The importance and distinct nature of this highly concentrated district to Canada and the mass movement of people in and out of the district daily intrigued me as a photographer. It is a unique phenomenon to the Canadian culture, one that hasn’t been extensively photographed. I set out with a camera in early 2016 to capture the district and the people that inhabited it during the workweek. Having photographed for over 40 years, I was however new to the genre of street photography, the style in which I wanted to photograph this project. Workshops with two master photographers and an extensive study of the history of photography had shown me the importance of including people in my photographs. Making photographs of people on the street seems simplistic, as it is easy to capture people walking in a busy urban area. Yet the reality of this form of photography is that it is difficult and extremely challenging to obtain good photographs. Candid moments that capture emotion, humour and unique gestures, are moments in time difficult to find and almost impossible to photograph successfully.
The more time I have spent photographing and strolling in this district the more familiar the area has become resulting in better photographs. Capturing the true character of this 15-block area, has involved making photographs of the commuters, people walking, taking breaks and interacting. Support workers and financial workers. Photographing in the lobbies, through the windows, on the streets and back alleys. Walking, exploring and keen observation have conceded many interesting moments, some compelling, while others just part of ordinary life, yet all genuine and real. Undeniably what I love most about candid street photography is the moments shared that are part of everyday life, unfiltered and seen by me, the casual observer.
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29 imagesToronto is the largest financial center in Canada and the second largest in North America, after New York City. At the peak of commuting it was estimated 250,000 people came into and out of the financial district on a daily basis. By using documentary, still photography, my goal with this project was to experience as many aspects of the commuter life as possible and understand how it felt, to work and temporarily exist in the realm of tall office buildings. In a Canadian context the existence of a concentrated financial district and the related influx of daily workers is unique. In particular the temporary nature of humanity inhabiting the workday office buildings, surrounding streets and courtyards. By documenting the nature of this unique phenomenon, my hope was to preserve a pictorial history, reflecting the current times -
10 imagesThis series of photographs was made during the Covid Pandemic and in a collaboration with two other photographers, Tom Cookston and Arnold Zageris. Together we had many wonderful outings to rushing rivers during the colder winter months. Our purpose was to gather photographs separately and then enjoy a beer over lunch and conversation. Some of the location In Ontario visited included: Egan Chute, Eels Creek, The Gut Conservation Area, Peter’s Woods Nature Reserve, Presqu’ile Provincial Park, and Buttermilk Falls. We learned from each other as we shared our results frequently and worked hard at making difficult water and ice photographs that retained detail yet had an artistic abstract beauty. This was the first time I had worked so closely with other photographers in the field, especially with such good master photographers as these two gentlemen. Unfortunately, Tom Cookston passed away in late 2022 having been stricken with pancreatic cancer. His ability to see small intimate details of a bigger landscape will always stick with me. It was a great privilege to have known him and worked with him in the field. His knowledge of photography elevated me, and his bravery to keep making photographs despite his battles with cancer will always stay with me. This series of photographs is dedicated to him, as well as master photographer Arnold Zageris who I have the privilege of still working with and who continues to influence my work for the better. The structure of natural Ice is changing and is rarely the same from day to day. It is a product of atmospheric conditions such as temperature, rain, snowfall and the flow of water. Its presence when discovered is like a temporary jewel, fragile yet beautiful. Photographing in the winter also has a feel of purity. Snow and ice simplify landscapes, yet they create subtle and exquisite nuances when combined with the lower light levels. As snow blankets the landscape, ice forms on rivers, lakes, puddles, and the edges of rocks, its temporary presence a challenge to capture. Each photograph made of ice reflects a moment in time and a unique sculpture of elegance. I wanted to experience the world in this colder time frame and capture it’s beauty. The coming change to the environment thru warming seasons made it important to document these natural structures of beauty before they become reduced. -
18 imagesTorontonians is a series of candid documentary photographs of people on the streets of Toronto. It is an unexpected series of photographs that took shape during my financial district series, Transitory Inhabitants. It came into being because of m wider ranging walks through the bigger downtown area of Toronto, outside of the financial district. On these walks I began to accumulate photographs of interesting people either on there own or interacting and moving with others. More and more of these candid photographs were made over the time frame from 2016 to 2023. I decided to create this series in colour and to conscientiously step back from subjects in order to capture more of the surrounding streets. This move to colour was a much-needed challenge as it forced me to work harder and change my way of seeing. Up to this point I had been working and thinking in largely a black and white context. -
32 imagesOver the many years of making photographs, I have had the privilege of working for 25 corporate, government and not for profit clients. This has given me a variety of experience ranging from interior lighting to fast moving action photography. In all of these assignments I have learned much about the process of making successful photographs and about myself. I want to thank all of my clients for the opportunities they have given me. The photographs in this gallery are a small sampling of some of the work I have made while on commission.