Mount Royal Winter Activities

Is it just me or could the spectator, third from the left, possibly be Bobby Darin? Just asking. :-) Best, LM.

wonderful photo, len. full of life, of mouvement.

Thanks for taking the time to comment. It's most appreciated. Good to hear you like this oldie. The toboggan looks like it's falling apart & the subjects are a split second away from a (not too serious) crash. Lots of fun! Best, LM.

You really went into digging in your oldies.....but you really did/do well.This is a nice winter atmosphere on one hand ,and a "street " scene as well on the other. What is interesting is the clothes of people, aside from the hat the man on the slide is wearing ( my father had this kind of a hat....) all the others looks like dressed in more or less the same clothes we wear nowadays....so the fashion of regular people did not change much... ?;-)) You have nicely used the point of time so their movement and the entire scene is very well composed ( years ago !) and nice partition of B/W palette.Looks cold though....

I'm slowly coming down to the bottom of the old shoebox when I start posting images from this era (early sixties, late fifties). Now I'll have to get out & produce some new work. (you'll notice that I have no 2010 folder as of this date). Stay tuned. As for your observations on the period clothing, you are correct, not much change. A couple of differences would be, that in this part of the world today, women seldom use head scarfs unless for religious or traditional ethnic reasons and the men today wear more casual winter clothing such as light parkas or jackets (due to the better insulation available today). Hats? Not as popular today either. Touques would be more common than what are called Andy Capps. (after the British cartoon character, Andy Capp) .http://comics.com/andy_capp/ Best, LM.

This is a terrific capture of a frozen moment in time! You must be having a great time scanning those old slides. There sure are some treasures among them! This scene reminds me of an occasion when I was the second boy back on a toboggan in the 60's. We were tobagganing down a very steep railway siding and hit a snowbank at the bottom. I lost a tooth on the back of my friend's head while he suffered a cracked rib! The excited expressions on these fellows' faces combined with the bemused expressions of the onlookers really tell a great story!

"....frozen moment in time....." ? You're kidding, right? Nice play on words. :-) Sounds like you were having fun - until the moment of impact. Just like these guys here. This was a true street type candid. I didn't know these people but I had seen others on this toboggan run just before them & knew a crash was likely at this point. I pre-focused and used the sports finder on my Minolta Autocord. ( trying to compose an action shot with the reversed image on the screen of a TLR was too much to ask for) 50 years later, thanks to my scanner, I got to see the image that had never been printed. Only now do I realize the value of my time & efforts that day. Best, LM.

In my humble opinion, this is an exceptionally good image with the fun an excitement expertly captured with clarity, good composition (depth) and spot-on exposure. I have come down that hill (or another one close by) a few times and I should have done it more often. I would rate this 7/7 but reactions in our PN community usually vary widely.

Nice to have your view on this one. The fact that it resonates with you, that you've actually been to this location, is icing on the cake. Though taken decades ago it provides a snapshot (pun intended) of life in Montreal. The clarity you speak of is mostly due to the medium format and my Minolta Autocord. Pre-focusing helped also as did the use of the sport finder. Don't fret about the ratings as I neither seek nor give them but thanks for the vote of confidence anyway. Best, LM.

I must say an excellent image,considering the composition,exposure and tonal-contrast. 3rd gentleman from left ,looks like Humphrey Bogart and the whole shot look like a still shot of black & white movies of 40s. You are giving a fresh look to old shots, whereas I am doing just the opposite. I feel, those days Americans were more formally and better dressed than now-a-days.

Way cool Len - just excellent ... I love it

'Way Cool" ! That's what Montreal is all about, especially in the winter. Thanks for taking the time. Best, LM.

Obviously from an era when this sort of dangerous activity was still allowed. I note their poor technique, which played a role in tobogganing being banned. Love the spectators eyes, all focused on hope of a vicious crash : >)

Thanks for your thoughts and observations. I didn't know tobogganing was now banned in some places though I can understand why. Big brother (who pays the medical bills) is simply saving us from ourselves. You think the technique here is bad, how about the condition of the toboggan? It's practically falling apart. And the crowd, anticipating a crash, wasn't disappointed. But, no harm, no foul. The riders gathered up their smashed craft and happily headed back up the hill for another run. Such was the attitude of the 60's. We were all going to die in a nuclear exchange anyway! :-) Best, LM.

Your views\comments will be gratefully received. Best, LM

Wonderful image and of very pleasant moments, light and composition are superb, thank you for sharing it and wishing you all of the best.

hi  len.... this  is  so  typical mount royal...  and not  a  tuque in  sight?  samme

Thanks for your thoughts.  Good of you to stop by.  Best, LM.

Another cliche' busted!  Actually I think there may be ONE toque showing:  just left of center on the horizon, or maybe the guy just has a pointy head.  I'm happy this one struck a chord with you.  Makes posting all worthwhile.  Best, LM.

 

PS.  Just checked out the original file & yes, the guy is wearing a toque.  All those people on Mount Royal & only one real Canadian,  go figure!  LM.

May I just add my compliments, Len... In addition to the nice mood here of an obvious 50's / 60's era, what strikes me most is that you captured this at the perfect moment... ( Just love the expression of the contenders at their crash moment of this tobogganing event ) Yes, a wonderful document, and a photo full of life indeed -- & hope that you have some more treasures like this left in your box! Best regards, Marjolein

Thanks for your upbeat appraisal.  Glad you liked it.  Makes posting all worthwhile.  You'll find more shots like this one in my '20th Century' folder and I will add to it as I come across any I think are worth posting.  Strange as it may seem they're not ALL worth it. :-)  Perfect moment?  Well perhaps, though I think their noses were in the snow by the time they got to where I was standing.  Best, LM.

I really love this shot!  The style of clothing brings me back in time.

Nice to reminisce isn't it?  Thanks for your thoughts.  Much appreciated.  Best, LM.

Len,

Very cool! Reminds me of Nat Geo photo spreads, spotlighting a particular place.

Marco

Whoa!  National Geographic!  Pretty heady company.  Missed my calling I guess. :-)  Thanks for the kind words.  I was just out on a Sunday afternoon with a relatively new Minolta Autocord and was just giving it a workout.  Seems I captured a few images worth keeping.  Lucky me!  Best, LM.