Category Archives: history

catching Graflexes

Posted on August 4, 2021 by Robert

Toronto. Pre WW2 and for a few years there after, Speed Graphic and Graflex cameras reigned supreme as the press photographers’ cameras of choice. The Graflex series offered SLR capability for larger plate and film sizes. Those who saw the … Continue reading →

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Voigtlander cameras are here again

Posted on August 3, 2021 by Robert

Toronto. How do you get back your market share when your country was on the losing side of the war? Well. you can try to advertise in a magazine that is read by your potential  market. Voigtlander did. The famous … Continue reading →

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run silent, run deep

Posted on July 30, 2021 by Robert

Toronto. Did you think this post was another subs and photos post? Nope, the deep in this case is Deep Fake – a term that introduces the nasty side of this new world of ours – you can’t take anything … Continue reading →

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Never Let the Truth Get In the Way of a Good Story

Posted on July 29, 2021 by Robert

Toronto. The other morning, I idly wondered if there was a photo of Clementine. If so, I thought a post called, “the colour orange” could introduce her photo and give a touch of history. Unfortunately, she was apparently a fiction, … Continue reading →

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making memories

Posted on July 28, 2021 by Robert

Toronto. The lowly family snapshot is often looked upon as a bit of kirsch by professionals but it serves to illustrate family history. The one used here was taken about 80 years ago when the youngest person shown was just … Continue reading →

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a new way to direct light

Posted on July 27, 2021 by Robert

Toronto. Incident or reflected light, that is the question. This advertisement touted a new way to measure light, especially critical in the early days of low sensitivity, somewhat contrasty colour film materials. Instead of reading reflected light values from selected … Continue reading →

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it’s a date – don’t be late

Posted on July 25, 2021 by Robert

Toronto. Home movie cameras were offered before, during, and after WW2. The top end models were the Bolex line from Europe and the Bell and Howell (B&H) line made in Chicago. Cheaper models were made and sold by Kodak. A … Continue reading →

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fairy tales

Posted on July 24, 2021 by Robert

Toronto. … or don’t believe all you see … People believed photographs captured ‘real’ events. Many viewers had no idea that double exposures and other manipulations could be done to hoodwink the gullible. Those tormented souls of last century or … Continue reading →

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Boot, saddle, to horse, and away!

Posted on July 23, 2021 by Robert

Toronto. The history of all countries owes much to the publication in January, 1839 of the two primary photographic processes that produced ‘permanent’ positives. Three years later in 1842, Browning’s poem used here was first published. Prior to 1839, drawings … Continue reading →

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taking the measure of light

Posted on July 18, 2021 by Robert

Toronto. Last century, a professional was able to decide the needed exposure for a printable negative. To be safe, critical shots could be bracketed – a shot taken at both double and half the estimated exposure. Also, with orthochromatic film, … Continue reading →

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