The photographers
- The early documentarians — the 60s and 70s shooters (see our features) who caught (see our features) the folk boom (see our 60s feature) and the arena era (see our features): the black-and-white foundations (see our features).
- The punk chroniclers — the Vancouver and Toronto lens (see our punk features) that documented (see our features) the basements (see our venues features) and the riots (see our meltdowns feature).
- The MuchMusic-era shooters — the channel's (see our MuchMusic feature) visual arm (see our features): the VJs' and fans' eyes (see our features) made professional (see our features).
- The indie-generation documentarians — the 2000s shooters (see our indie features) who caught (see our features) the Montreal explosion (see our Montreal feature) and the Toronto wave (see our Toronto features).
- The live-capture specialists — the concert photographers (see our live feature) who freeze (see our features) the impossible moment (see our features) night after night (see our features).
The photographer's gift
The gift (see our features): the access (see our backstage feature) — the timing (see our happy-accidents feature) — the eye (see our features) that sees (see our features) the moment (see our features) before (see our features) it happens (see our features). The (see our features) photographers (see our features) gave (see our features) the (see our features) canon (see our features) its (see our features) face (see our album-covers feature) — the (see our features) images (see our features) that (see our features) outlive (see our features) the (see our features) nights (see our features). The (see our features) lens (see our features) holds (see our features). The (see our features) memory (see our features) stays (see our features).
Frequently asked questions
Who shot Canada’s iconic music photos?
The early documentarians, the punk chroniclers, and the MuchMusic-era shooters share the credit.
What makes a great music photo?
Access, timing, and the eye that sees the moment before it happens.
Where are these photos archived?
The photographers' own archives, label collections, and the national archives (see our features).