Author Archives: Robert

who ya gonna call – II?

Posted on October 5, 2020 by Robert

Toronto. Who ya gonna call when you want people in middle class America to know about your fresh egg and do some digging? LIFE magazine, that’s who! In the March 8, 1969 issue, a full page ad on page 19 … Continue reading →

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something to sit upon

Posted on October 4, 2020 by Robert

Toronto. Well, what do you know? Here is another special members-only supplement (vol 1-4). This one is on posing chairs of all things. In a more leisurely era, a studio portrait took a few seconds of absolute stillness to capture. … Continue reading →

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PhotoEd Online Fall 2020

Posted on October 3, 2020 by Robert

Toronto. Rita has another great issue of PhotoEd magazine online. Have a look at all the great portraits and more! And remember, the print edition of PhotoEd is different than the online issue. We heard about the new issue when … Continue reading →

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don’t let the light get in

Posted on October 2, 2020 by Robert

Toronto. Cameras are all the same in one sense whether they cost pennies or thousands of dollars: they are a light tight box separating a light sensitive medium from a lens so that any object at infinity is in focus … Continue reading →

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faster than a speeding bullet

Posted on October 1, 2020 by Robert

Toronto. When photography was invented, exposures were measured in minutes. Between then and the end of film’s popularity something happened: Speed. The light sensitive media and lenses through research and innovation became much faster. In fact, after dry plates arrived, … Continue reading →

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slow train

Posted on September 30, 2020 by Robert

Toronto. In the early years of the minicam, leaf shutters were often used to allow for slow speeds. The early focal plane shutter Leicas had speeds from about   1/500 second down to about 1/20th second when both curtains were … Continue reading →

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Okey-Bokehy

Posted on September 29, 2020 by Robert

Toronto. A recent post on depth of field prompted a note from my friend George Dunbar along with a photo for a red IBM  Selectric typewriter (remember those machines with the flying golf balls of interchangeable typefaces?). For the ad, … Continue reading →

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you move too fast

Posted on September 28, 2020 by Robert

Toronto. Once dry plates were in common use, shutters became a necessity to make reproducible second and sub-second exposures. If “you move too fast“, you are blurry even though the shutter is set to ‘I’ for instantaneous. As years went … Continue reading →

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the invention of movies

Posted on September 27, 2020 by Robert

Toronto. In North America, we usually think of Thomas Edison when considering that aspect of history. In Europe, credit is usually given to the Lumière brothers of France (of Autochrome fame). Actual work on motion predates photography when mechanical devices were … Continue reading →

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controlling depth of field

Posted on September 26, 2020 by Robert

Toronto. As a general rule, the longer the focal length of a lens, the smaller its maximum possible f/stop and the less its depth of field. Conversely, the shorter the focal length, the greater the depth of field and the … Continue reading →

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