September 30, 2024 Meeting Summary by Nancy McFadden
The speaker at the September 2024 meeting was Julien LeBourdais, Professional Photographer, who gave a PowerPoint presentation called “A Stanley Cup, Prime Ministers, and John Lennon – a Photojournalist’s Odyssey“. This presentation covers his career as a Photojournalist duing a period from the 60’s to the 90’s when Julien worked mostly for National and International wire services.
Julien LeBourdais’ talk brought back many memories of political figures, protest movements, music legends, fashion trends and sports heroes including the last time the Leafs won the Stanley Cup.
Julien was only sixteen when his first photos of Northern Quebec and Labrador were published. After attending the Ryerson Polytechnical Institute in Photographic Arts, he launched his professional career as a freelance photographer. He was later promoted to Toronto Newspictures Bureau Manager, Senior Photo Editor for the Canadian Press and ultimately a founder, president and honorary life member of the Canadian News Photographers Association.
Julien shared an enormous sense of humanity in his photos and the stories that accompanied them: the exhilaration of victory, the humility of defeat, crowds pressing on one another, quiet solo contemplation; the senseless carnage of plane wrecks, and the final achievement of capping of the CN tower. Perhaps most touching was the photo of father and son: Pierre and Justin in what now seems another world. Perhaps the most traumatic was a face of the firefighter. His shots of royalty were not just about them but our reaction to them. Julien always had his camera ready to establish the angle, seize the moment, calculate the light, and capture the story. He shared these tales with respect, compassion and humour. It was a wonderful morning.
Probus Club of Kingsway-Islington 