Photographer Tom van der Leij travels the world, and all kinds of subjects pass before his lens. In Toronto, he discovered that it is best to ask permission before photographing someone.
The city has an open atmosphere and an enormous diversity of cultures. Toronto is a wonderful city to visit. And a two-hour drive away lies one of every photographer's wildest dreams: Niagara Falls. It is surprising to find that the city's tolerant residents often dislike being photographed without being asked.
Toronto is ideal for exploring by bicycle. Rental bikes are available on every street corner, and the city is flat. Despite its short history, Toronto has delightful neighborhoods and distinctive shopping streets. Its atmosphere is shaped by residents who have come from every corner of the world to build a life here. They are generally extremely friendly and helpful.
Photogenic Niagara Falls, on the border between the United States and Canada, is a two-hour drive from Toronto. The town of Niagara Falls is beautiful in its ugliness—at least on Clifton Hill, the entertainment strip that leads to the falls.
Several times, I get a hostile look when I place people a little too prominently in the frame
Clifton Hill feels American, with its loud advertising, plastic carnival attractions, greasy eateries, overstuffed tourists, and whining children. All that ugliness takes some getting used to beside the pure magic of the falls.
But it also produces interesting images. Not everyone appreciates being photographed without being asked, however. Several times, I get a hostile look when I place people a little too prominently in the frame. I am not used to that reaction. In Islamic countries or among certain tribes, photographing people can be more difficult, often because of religion or money. But here, something else seems to be at work.
Just moments ago, aboard the crowded tour boat, I noticed that most tourists did not mind my taking their picture, even though they hardly looked their most elegant in blue ponchos, with soaked hair and running makeup. But everyone was in the same boat, and people were in a kind of euphoric mood.
What puzzled me was how the boat tourists treated their cameras. At first, they hurriedly put them away at the slightest drop. But when the boat approached the falls and an enormous cloud of spray drenched everything, the cameras came back out so they could still make that close-up waterfall shot through lenses covered in droplets.
Almost snorting with anger, he asks why I am photographing the children
A drenched woman laughs that she must look especially charming when I take her picture. How differently people react in the town of Niagara Falls and on the streets of Toronto when I photograph them without asking.
Toronto is beautifully situated on Lake Ontario. A delivery van belonging to the Amsterdam beer company is parked by the shore. Since I am writing an article about the city for the Amsterdam newspaper Het Parool, a picture of the van bearing the Dutch capital's name seems essential.
Out of the corner of my eye, I see the driver get out. He steps in front of me, right into my frame, and angrily tells me I cannot simply photograph the van. I need permission. I look at him indignantly, say that I am doing my job, and now photograph the van with him standing in front of it.
The next morning, at Union subway station, I approach a beautiful dark-skinned girl and ask whether I may take her portrait. She does not mind. I take several photos until I hear, close by: ‘Hey! Sir, Sir, SIR!’ A man is shouting loudly in my ear.
As a rule, I do not respond when people start shouting, so I keep shooting. ‘You can’t do this!’ he barks. I look at him and say, ‘Sure I can,’ then take a few more shots. He threatens to call the police. I ask who on earth he is to interfere with my work. He identifies himself and turns out to work for the subway.
‘But,’ I tell him, ‘I am only taking a portrait of this girl with the wall as a background. What is the problem?’ Regulations, permission, obeying the law—a load of bullshit excuses is all I get in response. That ruins the fun for me.
On the final day of my stay, I photograph the Ontario Museum from outside with some children in the foreground. A teacher approaches me—the bodybuilder type. Almost snorting with anger, he asks why I am photographing the children. I remain calm and explain that I am photographing the museum with the kids in the foreground.
The power of photography often lies in a detail, a moment, and an impulse
‘After all, a photo is livelier when someone is in it, isn't it?’ I reply. Again, I hear a spiel about how I cannot simply do this, how permission is required, and how it is otherwise illegal.
I tell him I am a photographer and am getting a little tired of people telling me what I may and may not photograph. Eventually, he backs down once he realizes that I am not some perverted lunatic.
All in all, I understand that people want to protect those around them. I also understand that portrait and privacy rights may apply in certain situations. But I have to guard against letting incidents like these restrict me.
The power of photography often lies in a detail, a moment, and an impulse. If you first have to wonder whether something is allowed, the moment has already passed.
Toronto is a very pleasant city, full of helpful and friendly people who do not mind being photographed as long as you ask them. A rental bike makes it easy to get around, and if someone objects to your photography... well, you can always just pedal away quickly.
Useful websites: www.seetorontonow.com, www.designlinesmagazine.com, www.artinsite.com, www.toronto.ca.
