BANFF - Photography is more meaningful when you create a narrative with photos.
That, said Canmore photographer Scott Rowed, is among the most valuable lessons he learned from his father, Harry Rowed, about the craft they both pursued.
Among Canada’s most iconic photographers, Harry Rowed trained as a journalist when he was a young man in Saskatchewan. Through magazine articles and commercial assignments he shared stories of Canadians from the mid-1930s through the 1970s. His career led him far and wide, from covering the 1936 Berlin Olympics to the Quebec Conference in 1944 with Churchill, Roosevelt and Mackenzie King. Outgoing and as comfortable with everyday people as with world leaders, he created equally meaningful photographs of coal miners, ranchers, bush pilots, Inuit whale hunters and oil workers.
It was while working for the Wartime Information Services during the Second World War that Harry made his first visit to the Rockies. While that job led him to become chief of photo services of the National Film Board, he decided that rather than be “promoted” to a supervisory position – which promised plenty of desk time – he would gamble on the life of a freelancer and moved to Jasper, Alta.
While raising his children with his wife, Genevieve, in Jasper, Harry founded a photography shop with a partner, Ray O’Neil, who managed the day-to-day people assignments while Harry explored the mountains with his camera.
His captivating Rockies images will be among those Scott will share at the Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies this Thursday (Feb. 20).
“My dad had an advantage over many other photographers in his day by having access to events and communities due to his position with the NFB, and his magazine and commercial connections,” Scott said. “I credit George Hunter, who used to work for my dad at the National Film Board, with the importance of preserving and sharing the photographic history of Canadian photographers, including my dad. Just as Yousuf Karsh was a master of studio portraits of famous people, my dad was a master out in the field, photographing people on their own turf.”
Sharing his father’s images (Harry died in 1987) is deeply rewarding, Scott said.
“I enjoy not only discovering these wonderful photos, most of them never published, but connecting with others, often the children and grandchildren of the people he photographed,” Scott said.
“My dad taught me to not just shoot pretty pictures, but instead look for the story and use the visual appeal of photos to connect people to the story. He was a classic photojournalist, writing and photographing his own stories, or collaborating with writers while he took the photos.”
Scott Rowed presents People of the West: Photography by Harry Rowed 1930s to 1960s on Thursday (Feb. 20) at the Whyte Museum in Banff. The show begins at 7 p.m. For tickets visit www.whyte.org/tickets.
