Author Archives: Robert

hot pix, it’s a phoney; hot pix it’s a phoney …

Toronto.  … with apologies to Karen Shopsowitz and her family. You couldn’t live here 60 years ago without hearing the jingle, “hotdog, it’s a Shopsy” or visit the city without buying one of those delicious hot dogs from her father’s … Continue reading

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you can call me Max

Toronto. As you know, a camera needs a lens to capture an image. Leitz had just such a lens designer. In 1912 according to Dr Kingslake in his 1989 book, “A History of the Photographic Lens“, a young Dr Max … Continue reading

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an Oscar for design

Toronto. In 1914, a young German visited NYC. He brought along a tiny experimental ‘device’ that looked nothing like the cameras of the day. He took photos like the one at left with the people on the street oblivious to … Continue reading

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celebrating niche enthusiasts

Toronto. You may have noticed that a small group of photographers continue to use film, preferring its ambiance  over digital technology. It may be a novelty to you having old technology linger on, but this has occurred over the centuries … Continue reading

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having a blast

Toronto. While not directly related to photography – other than the book’s photos, this book was the basis for the recent movie whose release prompted  an unexpected box-office success. I first learned of Oppenheimer as a youth interested in the … Continue reading

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magazine photography

Toronto. A big presence in the magazine world of last century was LIFE magazine. The magazine, based in NYC, had its own stable of photographers. In October, 1998, a book by John Loengard, called “Life Photographers: What They Saw” was … Continue reading

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a crash course

Toronto. We are so accustomed today to full colour photos/videos if not the actual people, scenery,  concerts, theatre, etc, that we never give it a second thought. That was not always the case. Think about not having photography or photographers. … Continue reading

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it’s that time again …

Toronto. … time for our fall fair – October 15, 2023! After the fantastic ESTATE Auction a few days ago we are gearing up for our Fall Fair. Click on the poster icon below to see a full size poster … Continue reading

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an image maker

Toronto. Well, this is actually the name of the O3C (Ontario Council of Camera Clubs) newsletter. Our society is a member of this august body of photo educators although most of us collect old cameras and images. The O3C provide … Continue reading

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polar bear town

Toronto. I hope you had a productive visit to our fabulous Estate Auction yesterday. Now take a breather before doing the October Fall Fair. The title of this post is the nickname for Churchill MB and also a series on … Continue reading

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