Gallery 1: 16. Cab on Yonge Street (February
2007 in Toronto)
12x18 inches. Canon Rebel XT with Canon 35 mm lens; 1/6 second;
f/5.6; ISO 100.
I photographed this cab in front of Sam the Record Man on Yonge
Street one winter night. I used a slow shutter speed and deliberately moved
the camera in order to make the image blurry. It’s pure luck that the cab
was centred in the frame.
Sam the Record Man was an excellent and very large record store on Yonge
Street near Dundas, founded by Canadian entrepreneur Sam Sniderman. By the
1990s, the store had expanded so that it stretched across four floors and
several adjacent buildings. It was the best record store in Canada (at
least that I know of). The Toronto pop group Barenaked Ladies were talking
about Sam’s when they sang in “Brian Wilson”: “Drove downtown in the rain
nine-thirty on a Tuesday night, /just to check out the late-night record
shop.”
I used to love going to Sam’s, which was notable for its late hours and
knowledgeable staff. My spouse and I learned a lot about classical music by
hanging out in the classical section, listening to what was playing and
asking the clerk questions. Alas, the chain of Sam’s stores ended up losing
money, and the owners dismantled the chain and then closed the main store in
June 2007. Toronto City Council designated the Sam’s building a historical
site in order to preserve the neon sign.
Notes on Image
Gallery 1: 16. Cab on Yonge Street (February 2007 in Toronto)
12x18 inches. Canon Rebel XT with Canon 35 mm lens; 1/6 second; f/5.6; ISO 100.
I photographed this cab in front of Sam the Record Man on Yonge Street one winter night. I used a slow shutter speed and deliberately moved the camera in order to make the image blurry. It’s pure luck that the cab was centred in the frame.
Sam the Record Man was an excellent and very large record store on Yonge Street near Dundas, founded by Canadian entrepreneur Sam Sniderman. By the 1990s, the store had expanded so that it stretched across four floors and several adjacent buildings. It was the best record store in Canada (at least that I know of). The Toronto pop group Barenaked Ladies were talking about Sam’s when they sang in “Brian Wilson”: “Drove downtown in the rain nine-thirty on a Tuesday night, /just to check out the late-night record shop.”
I used to love going to Sam’s, which was notable for its late hours and knowledgeable staff. My spouse and I learned a lot about classical music by hanging out in the classical section, listening to what was playing and asking the clerk questions. Alas, the chain of Sam’s stores ended up losing money, and the owners dismantled the chain and then closed the main store in June 2007. Toronto City Council designated the Sam’s building a historical site in order to preserve the neon sign.
< Back to Image
All images © Tom Onyshko, 2008