Queens Initiations

Queen’s University and

the beginnings of my Photography

Although I began taking pictures in High School I did not really become proficient at it until I went off to Queen’s University in Kingston Ontario. This was where I began my love affair with cameras and the printed image. Unfortunately, I am somewhat compulsive and frequently my photography came ahead of my studies.

It was at Queens that, instead of working alone in my improvised basement darkroom, I suddenly had real darkrooms to use, with enlargers and equipment I could never afford myself, real publications to print my work, and real friends who shared my interest. 

My photography back then was all black and white: it was inexpensive and the developing was very tolerant of error. 

Following Henri Cartier-Bresson’s dictum that “your first 10,000 photographs are your worst”, I took lots of pictures; pictures by the 100 foot roll. Lots of them! 

And here we have some of those images: images from my earliest photographic days. This is a tribute to the beauty of Queens University that gave me so much.

Ban Righ Hall on University Avenue

Initiations

Our initiation rituals, at least as I experienced them, were benign and friendly. We did not feel threatened and we threw ourselves into the ritual. And it did serve to eventually foster a feeling of solidarity and belonging.

Freshettes  (Img 120054)

Queen’s Science ’64 (Img 120030)

Science ’64 Banner  (Img 120037)

Levana Candle Lighting in Grant Hall  (Img 120027)

Grease Pole Climb  (Img 120044)

Levana Candle  (Img 120028)

Science ’66  (Img 140074)

Freshette Wave  (Img 120146)

Copyright

Unless otherwise clearly noted, all images on this website are examples of my own photography. They are available for your own non-commercial use. If you use them on your own website please include a link back to this site. All images are available in larger sizes upon request. Pricing varies depending upon size and intended use.

Use of Images

Some images on this site are the work of others and where they appear they are clearly noted and link backs to the original sites are included. If you see one of your images used here and you wish it removed or you feel the attribution is not stated clearly enough please contact me and the situation will be corrected immediately.