Night Crawlers

An exhibit spotlights gritty ’80s street photos that capture Montreal’s after-dark spirit

Every photographer knows the basic importance of good, natural light—and the difficulties without it. So in the early 1980s, when photographer Bertrand Carrière received a generous Canada Council grant to capture the spirit of Montreal at night, he knew he faced a challenge. Where would his light come from?

“I was 25 years old, just starting out, paying probably a quarter of what you’d pay today for a huge apartment with a darkroom downstairs,” says Carrière, now 68. Luckily, then and now, the gorgeously gritty city had no shortage of eccentric characters frequenting quirky spots, provided Carrière could get out there to find them in the dark.

To help him on his way, Carrière got special access to Montreal’s metro as well as the ambulance service, which allowed him to ride with supervisors and document the action unfolding. He also listened endlessly to local radio stations, waiting for mention of cool events. “I’d just show up and ask the manager if I could take a few pictures,” he says. “They’d consider it free publicity, or maybe they didn’t care. People weren’t as wary as they are today.” Carrière shot hundreds of rolls of film capturing a spectrum of Montrealers frequenting fancy private parties, punk-rock concerts, hole-in-the-wall pubs and bustling street parties. He was equally interested in lone figures lingering in the dark or sleeping on the ground.

“Montreal was, and still is, a cool city that attracts spirited people,” says Carrière, who now calls Quebec’s Eastern Townships home. He used to roam the streets with his Leica and a flash. But it came at a cost. “As soon as I used it, I was immediately visible, and subjects were aware of my presence,” he says. Whereas daytime photographers might shoot undetected, Carrière rarely had the chance for do-overs. “You can’t take 12 shots, you can only take one,” he says.

Chronique Nocturne is a series of 45 street photos Carrière captured between 1982 and 1983. Now, decades later, a new generation will get to see them. Montreal’s McCord Stewart Museum features some of the pictures in Pounding the Pavement, an exhibit that runs until October 26 and showcases work by more than 30 photographers. Through some 400 images, the show maps the city’s history through the lens of its camerapeople. Amid the crowd, Carrière’s unfiltered scenes of urban life still stand out. “What’s interesting to me about street photography is that there is no before or after,” Carrière says. “What you see is what you get.”