LOUIS JAQUES:
The Man Who Shoots Stars
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​Vol. 9, No. 2, 1959
Weekend Magazine
Peripatetic Jaques readies his camera for photograph of Boston
Bruins' Vic Stasiuk
Staff Photographer Louis Jaques who, between many other assignments, takes our pictures of hockey and football stars, has long been recognized as one of Canada's top photographers. And though Jaques swears he has no trade secrets, we're willing to bet he sneaks psychology books from the library when no one is looking. For instance:
Jaques was in Detroit to photograph Gordie Howe and Ted Lindsay (when Lindsay was still with the Red Wings) and had set up shop in a back room at the Olympia. When all was ready, he called in the two players. Because athletes are sometimes wary of any long-hair treatment, Jaques tried to put them at ease with their own brand of raillery.
However, as soon as he turned his cameras on Lindsay, he realized he had troubles. For Lindsay is one of those people with a crooked smile that is both charming and becoming until photographed. Jaques felt he couldn't bring this to Ted's attention for fear of making him self-conscious and thereby exaggerating the smile. It was one of those occasions that called for psychology.
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Fortunately, Howe suddenly piped up with, "Come on, Lindsay, is this the first time you ever had your picture taken? Stand up straight, relax, don't show that silly grin . . ." Both Jaques and Lindsay howled.
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Said Jaques then to Lindsay, with a wink. "Here we'll let the expert take over."
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Going along with the gag, Gordie began barking at Ted and clicking the shutter. Whose picture of Lindsay eventually appeared in WEEKEND? Howe's, of course.
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Because of all the equipment he has to tote around, Jaques contends his work calls for more muscles than psychology. Included in his travelling studio are four or five cameras. lenses of all sizes and shapes, filters, floodlights, eight-foot rolls of colored paper (for backgrounds) and his distinctive white umbrellas, which he uses as reflectors.
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Once, during his trans-Canada tour taking pictures of football stars, Jaques - his studio in tow - found himself with but 24 hours in Toronto to photograph lineman John Welton, an all-star Argonaut for two years.
To his dismay, Jaques found that Welton was in hospital. Since his schedule was so tight, he decided to take a chance, anyway. He rushed to the hospital to find Welton with his leg suspended in a maze of ropes, pulleys and weights. Would it be possible, Jaques wondered aloud, to stand upright on one peg? Sure, answered Welton, only it would have to be done before 3 P.M. when his leg was to be put in a cast. Jaques then checked with the doctor, who reluctantly gave his O.K.
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The next problem was to get Welton into uniform. The team's uniforms were at the cleaner's. Jaques phoned. The cleaner replied, yes, he would do his best to have one uniform ready by 3 P.M.
Jaques met the cleaner half-way to the hospital and rushed back with the uniform. Welton struggled into it. Then Jacques found there wasn't enough space in the hospital room for his forest of equipment. He appealed to the matron. "Well, if you must," she said, "you may use the corridor."
Jaques finally got set up, Welton was wheeled to the appointed spot and propped up in place. Jaques clicked away, apologizing to people trying to get past in the corridor. It was a good picture, too, only this was the end of the season and the next year Welton was dropped from all-star rating and thus never did get into WEEKEND - an omission we remedy, with apologies, today.
END
Welton - delayed end