Street Photographers

Recently, while shopping in the Broadway district of Saskatoon, my wife and I passed by someone who appeared to be a street photographer. What was he doing? He was taking individual photos of passersby as well as doing short interviews of people who came forward to see him. Judging by the number of pedestrians who stopped by to see what was going on, there was no shortage of subjects. Although I did not check out his equipment, he appeared to have the appropriate gear – a camera on a tripod and a hand-held voice recording device.

Seeing him brought back memories of street photographers from years past, especially so during the ‘40s and ‘50s. The accompanying photographs, both taken in the early-to-mid1950s, are reminders of that time well before cell phones. The photographs are those of my parents, Bernhard (Ben) and Helena Krause. The photographer took both pictures in downtown Saskatoon, my father’s photo in the 100 block of 21st Street East – note the old CN station in the back as well as a popcorn vendor – and my mother’s photo also on 21st Street in the 200 block near Millar’s Flowers, a long-time downtown business.

So, how did these photos come about? Clearly, judging by the expressions on the faces of my parents, the photos were unplanned. Both are in full stride going about their business, neither having struck a pose for the photographer. Also, no other pedestrians are in view; the photographer chose a time when his focus was only on my parents. Both are giving their full attention to the photographer, my mother especially so. In fact, given her facial expression, there appears to be a hint of “What’s he doing?”. Whatever my parents’ feelings, both photos turned out well and are indeed a part of a family treasure.

Street photographers were really photojournalists, photographers who provided a form of documentation of life in their time. The sidewalk was their studio, a studio that showed not only the subject but also the surrounding street. Street photographers “would take candid shots of individuals, couples, families and other groups walking down the street”. After taking the photograph, the street photographer would hand the subject(s) a numbered ticket with the invitation to drop by the shop later in the day to pay the required fee and arrange to pick up and/ or receive the photograph. Of course, there was but one photograph and not a set of prints that we see today. And that was about it. Street photographers are yet another reminder of a time that was.