Category Archives: history

deep thoughts developing

Toronto. My thanks to Annex Photo here in the big smoke for the image illustrating today’s post. Give them a try if you are one of those folk determined to use film and film cameras. Ever since I was a … Continue reading

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Mark Twain on Photography

Toronto. Mark Twain is a pseudonym used by American Sam Clemens in writing his books. As Mark Twain, he wrote Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn, books commonly read last century by children everywhere including me. The stories were also turned … Continue reading

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keeping an eye out

Toronto. As this late 1971 LIFE ad for Kodak illustrates, marketeers had to be creative and inspired to create new copy far faster than the engineers and designers could make new cameras with new features. This version of Kodak’s relatively … Continue reading

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the eye of the beholder

Toronto.  The very first issue of the Graflex Journal for 2021 shows a photograph of the news photographers up in Sudbury back in 1953 when cameras and flash were both big and bulky. One brave soul flaunts his Rollei and … Continue reading

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capturing the essence …

Toronto. What is the difference between a good photographer and a great one? In my opinion it is the ability to take a person’s portrait and capture the essence of the person. Bob Lansdale is one such photographer. Much of … Continue reading

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where the girls are

Toronto. I was just a tiny child when WW2 crashed on the scene. With so many men in the war, girls got the chance to do what was once a man’s job at home and there was no looking back … Continue reading

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I am a Legend

Toronto. As of July, 1989, the magazine Modern Photography finally quit publication. It was a long run beginning in 1937 as Minicam Photography to capture the nascent 35mm camera era. In its last year, the magazine posted a small article … Continue reading

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we da north

Toronto.  The PHSA’s  Northlight is featured once again as our special members-only supplement. As a member of the PHSC, you received this supplement Friday, the 5th of March. Vol 2-2 was sent out last Friday afternoon to all current members … Continue reading

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Glencoe, Glencoe, What Art Thou Glencoe?

Toronto. With apologies to Bill Shakespeare. When Brian Hudson enquired about his Canadian Camera (& Optical) Company camera, he set off quite a storm which hasn’t settled yet. I had an Empire State camera a few years ago. I added … Continue reading

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shooting Arrows

Toronto. One day as I sat on a runway at Toronto Peason, the pilot announced we could see the Avro Arrow to the side of our aircraft. Summarily scrapped by the Diefenbaker government, issues swirled around the decision – too … Continue reading

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