Author Archives: Robert

by the light of the silvery moon

Posted on January 5, 2021 by Robert

Toronto. From the very beginning of photography, the moon and photography have worked closely together. John William Draper made his daguerreotype of the moon in 1840. It is the earliest existing photographic image of the moon. A cleaned up version … Continue reading →

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a loopy idea

Posted on January 4, 2021 by Robert

Toronto. I show three magnifier loupes at the left. The first is a Taylor, Taylor, Hobson brass loupe used in the late 1800s to focus a lens on the massive old field/studio cameras so that the subject was sharp on … Continue reading →

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FIPP 2010-2019

Posted on January 3, 2021 by Robert

Toronto. Sad news from Freemantle, Australia last week. The Freemantle International Portrait Prize (FIPP) has been discontinued. The originators wrote, “All good things must come to an end. The FIPP Committee recently decided that FIPP 2019 would be our last; … Continue reading →

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two for the show …

Posted on January 2, 2021 by Robert

Toronto. I began working for Bell just months after Toll Area was formed. In those days Bell Labs in New Jersey did a wide variety of research. This article from the December, 1935 issue of Electronics tells of the collaboration between … Continue reading →

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happy new year everyone!

Posted on January 1, 2021 by Robert

Toronto. Well thank god 2020 is over! What miserable year it was too! Let’s hope 2021 will be far better and let us get back to normal again by summer! All the best for 2021 from the Photographic Historical Society … Continue reading →

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take your time …

Posted on December 31, 2020 by Robert

Toronto. … as my mother used to say when she felt that I was dragging my heels. But sometimes taking your time is beneficial. Photographic media are sensitive to the volume of visible light hitting the sensitive surface. Traditionally two … Continue reading →

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metal detectors and photography

Posted on December 30, 2020 by Robert

Toronto. You may think metal detectors and photography have little in common but sometimes they do! When I was young, I saw pictures of people using war surplus metal detectors to find “buried treasure” – usually a few coins and … Continue reading →

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how to tell when a topic is HOT

Posted on December 29, 2020 by Robert

Toronto. In the roaring twenties, a century ago, movies were all the rage. As a result, “get rich quick” ads were everywhere. A typical ad was this November 1928 ad in Science and Invention magazine on page 651. The ad … Continue reading →

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the marvellous little Polaroid

Posted on December 28, 2020 by Robert

Toronto. In 1969, the Polaroid ad in LIFE magazine touted its series of electronic and mechanical cameras with built in timers and signals to tell the user development was finished. While Polaroid film and prints were somewhat expensive, the cameras … Continue reading →

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a searing legacy

Posted on December 27, 2020 by Robert

Toronto. Well, Christmas and boxing day are over for most of us. Hope you managed to give/receive great gifts and find bargains in spite of the @#$#%^ pandemic we are all struggling with (well, most of us up here anyway). … Continue reading →

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