Back in the 1970s, I worked in downtown Winnipeg and lived about 30 minutes from work by foot. I bought an Olympus OM1 in 1975 or so and, thereafter, it became an almost constant companion on my daily commutes and otherwise.
By the way, my son (Cole) sent me a link to a YouTube story on Vivian Maier today. It is an amazing story of the love of photography, of dedication, and a testament to keen vision.
At any rate, I was hugely influenced by Cartier-Bresson's work back then and sought to emulate his pursuit of the "Decisive Moment." One such instance of good fortune occurred one bright summer day while trolling the grubby denizens of Main Street near Higgins Avenue. I can't be sure of the year, but 1976 might be close. While keeping a watchful eye out for ruffians, I saw an older man, wearing a hat and top coat – and out of character with the down-and-outers around him, heading north on Main Street. As he was about to enter the shadows of the underpass, I was able to make one exposure.
Sometime later, when I had set up a darkroom at home, I tried in vain to pull an acceptable print of the image; the tonal contrast was too extreme. It was only a few years ago, having purchased a Konica/Minolta Dimage scanner and SilverFast software drivers, that I was finally able to realize the image as I had hoped it might be.
i had no idea it took you so long to see this image come to life the way you saw it, pop... what an incredible moment that must have been - this photo is really something.
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