A Canadian Bystander 1
36 images Created 26 Apr 2024
It can be argued that Canada is largely defined by its beautiful landscapes. These pristine and beautiful landscapes have been well documented in many picture books and calendars. Yet, Canada’s beauty is only one component of a much larger picture. A bigger documentation of a more complete country, broadly containing a variety of rural, urban and industrial landscapes as well as the people that live there.
In creating a book of Canadian photographs, I have no illusion in the difficulty and likely impossibility of capturing the complete and entire country. Canada is not only large geographically (second largest country by land mass in the world) but also in its diversity from east to west and south to north. East Coast fishermen have issues and lifestyles that differ greatly from Prairie farmers. Torontonians live a different lifestyle from those in northern Ontario. Further adding to the difficulties are the high cost and difficulty in travelling to remote parts of the country. This makes visits to all parts of the country challenging. As my father (Armando Romano) correctly said: “you could spend a whole lifetime travelling Canada and not see all its wonders.”
My intension with this series is to show moments that were revealed to me during the many trips I have undertaken thru different parts of the country over my lifetime. I feel my knowledge as a Canadian has allowed me to understand the country and to ultimately make images of today’s culture. The book shows a mix of people, urban and rural areas as well as parts of its economic and transportation infrastructure. Although not all encompassing it does reveal the Canada I know, love and fear, one that is different from the books of pretty landscapes. Who better to attempt such a project than a Canadian in love with his country and one who is able through the wonder of the still photograph to be able to document this time in our current history.
“You could spend a lifetime happily visiting Canadian places.”
Armando Romano 1984
In creating a book of Canadian photographs, I have no illusion in the difficulty and likely impossibility of capturing the complete and entire country. Canada is not only large geographically (second largest country by land mass in the world) but also in its diversity from east to west and south to north. East Coast fishermen have issues and lifestyles that differ greatly from Prairie farmers. Torontonians live a different lifestyle from those in northern Ontario. Further adding to the difficulties are the high cost and difficulty in travelling to remote parts of the country. This makes visits to all parts of the country challenging. As my father (Armando Romano) correctly said: “you could spend a whole lifetime travelling Canada and not see all its wonders.”
My intension with this series is to show moments that were revealed to me during the many trips I have undertaken thru different parts of the country over my lifetime. I feel my knowledge as a Canadian has allowed me to understand the country and to ultimately make images of today’s culture. The book shows a mix of people, urban and rural areas as well as parts of its economic and transportation infrastructure. Although not all encompassing it does reveal the Canada I know, love and fear, one that is different from the books of pretty landscapes. Who better to attempt such a project than a Canadian in love with his country and one who is able through the wonder of the still photograph to be able to document this time in our current history.
“You could spend a lifetime happily visiting Canadian places.”
Armando Romano 1984
