Author Archives: Robert

anything for a buck …

Toronto. Some people will do anything for money. While a dollar ring sounds junky (and maybe it was), 20 years later 18k gold was still about $25/ounce Canadian. This ad, from the March 1946 issue of Popular Mechanics magazine, touts … Continue reading

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a letter of recommendation

Toronto. Have you ever noticed that others imitate successful processes? For decades in the first half of last century, camera makers used to tout how reliable their models were by printing  ‘letters’ from organizations that pushed them to the max. … Continue reading

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Franz Scholler August 23, 1941 – September 23, 2022

Toronto. I was sad to learn of the passing of Franz when Brian Battler sent me an email last Friday. Franz often had a table at our fairs with his wife Marianne. He and I shared an interest in Leica … Continue reading

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bright night

Toronto. After you have a great time at the PHSC camera fair today, hang around and see contemporary art exhibitions here and all around the city. For the first time since COVID hit, Toronto’s Nuit Blanche is being held from … Continue reading

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Sgt Leonard E Thompson: Combat Cameraman WW2

Toronto. Being a small country (population), and a relatively new country, we seldom see our heros get recognition. Sgt Thomson is a fine example. The Canadian Film & Photo Unit website recounts many tales of the Canadian photographers who recorded … Continue reading

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shooting product photos today

Toronto. I know, I know, we are an historical society but after all, digital has been around for decades and how we record photographs has changed for ever, especially with vastly higher ISO ratings, lens stabilization, auto-everything and ever smaller … Continue reading

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did ya see the collision?

Toronto. We watched the collision Monday on local TV courtesy of photography and a camera on the DART vehicle in space. The How-to Geek web site noted the next day, “Happy Tuesday! NASA just smashed a satellite into an asteroid, … Continue reading

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kids

Toronto. Viennese photographer, ANNA BREIT, is featured at WestLicht gallery with her series titled, “TEENS (IN THEIR ROOMS)” from September 9th to October 23rd of 2022. The gallery writes, “Parallel to the World Press Photo exhibition, WestLicht is showing the current … Continue reading

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more than one way …

Toronto.. … to skin a cat (sorry cat lovers) was an expression when I was a kid. It meant that a problem often had more than one solution. During the Great War (WW1), a Canadian hospital (McGill hospital) was set … Continue reading

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everybody knows …

Toronto. One of my favourite singers, song writers and poets is the late Leonard Cohen. Shortly before his death, I attended one of his concerts here in Toronto (I have the two disk CD). Prior to that I saw him … Continue reading

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