100 Photos That Changed Canada [Hardcover]

I like this book, even though I think it overstates things to say that these photographs "changed" Canada; I don't believe they could have had such influence. But they do seem fairly symbolic of social and political changes and developments in our country.

A book of photographs in which the pictures are said to have been so powerful that they changed the way people think should always be approached with a bit of caution. Pictures on their own don't tell you everything, for instance; nor is photography necessarily as important or truthful a medium of communication -- as we often think of it as being. So, naturally, I was skeptical in picking up this new book by Canada's National History Society.

Almost in recognition of photography's limitations, though - the fact that it does not simply speak for itself -- an objective one-page summary gives the context behind each photograph. I thought this to be a strong feature of the book.

While many of these photographs are dramatic, you never get the impression they were selected on that basis. Consider the photo of Nichola Goddard, Canada's first female combat death in Afghanistan, and they just seem to represent certain turning points in Canada's history especially well.

Another thing I like about the book is that woven into the its themes is the development of photography itself -- its possibilities and limitations, and its evolution as a social and news medium.

Many of these pictures are pretty familiar, while many others may be new to readers. Still others reveal perspectives never before featured or given much emphasis. Take for instance that the first person to survive going over Niagara Falls in a barrel was a woman. I didn't know this, and I thought her reason for doing it was interesting, too. She must have been desperate indeed.

The photo depicting the Halifax Explosion, I'm willing to bet, has not been widely seen and it hints at life's realities then and now for black Haligonians - residents of Africville.

I don't think these 100 photos necessarily changed Canada, but they do justice to many of the changes that define Canada's history and character. Perhaps they hint at what our future might look like as well.

I love this book. What a refreshing and intelligent way to look at Canadian History. A perfect way to start discussions and provoke thoughts on what brings us together as a country and what tears us apart. This is a beautiful and well produced book. You would likely not have chosen the same photos and that is the most interesting part.

Check out the editor talking about the book in a slideshow on CBC's website. [...]

From a popular blogger, Fagstein:

"...while the writers are put on a pedestal for their works of art, the people who took the 100 photos that changed Canada are getting the shaft."

"Simply put, the photos don't come with credits on them. There are no biographies of the photographers who took those photos, and no discussion of the stories behind the photos (like, say, how they were taken), because the photographers weren't even contacted before the book's release. Instead, the photographers are listed on a "photo credits" page, as if they formed part of the bibliography. They're footnotes in the stories of their own photos. Except footnotes would appear on the same page."