Category Archives: history

the invisible man

Posted on July 12, 2020 by Robert

Toronto. Photography was a success when latent images were discovered (plus a fixer solution). Silver salts, or silver-halides as they were later called were molecules of silver and a “salt” bonded together. These molecules were light sensitive. The stronger the … Continue reading →

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a colourful French gentleman

Posted on July 11, 2020 by Robert

Toronto. It’s nearly three years since I first posted a note about Louis Ducos du Hauron and his contribution to colour photography. After Ducos du Hauron learnt about the three colour theory of vision, he predicted almost all the ways … Continue reading →

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to dye for

Posted on July 10, 2020 by Robert

Toronto. By mid last century we had Kodachrome and its competition to give us good colour transparencies. They or the original subject could also be photographed on three monochrome negatives through colour filters to give one negative per narrow colour … Continue reading →

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3-in-1

Posted on July 9, 2020 by Robert

Toronto. Studies in the late 1800s proved three colour bands would create the full spectrum of visible light. Many attempts were made to create the plates necessary for this effort in a reasonable time. For about the first half of … Continue reading →

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arcades a century ago

Posted on July 8, 2020 by Robert

Toronto. Arcades were the malls of yesteryear. Here in the big smoke I remember the Colonade on Bloor and the Arcade near the bottom of Yonge on the east side. This photo is the Arcade in Cleveland c 1901. It … Continue reading →

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les pellicules en couleurs

Posted on July 7, 2020 by Robert

Toronto. Brian Coe’s book, “Colour Photography” gives a wonderful overview of the efforts to capture the colours of nature through photography, not by painting the monochrome print. In 18o2, the Young- Helmholtz theory of colour vision (enhanced in 1850) suggested … Continue reading →

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les films noir et blanc

Posted on July 3, 2020 by Robert

Toronto. When Englishman Dick Maddox announced the dry plate in 1870, he set a course for the future of photography. The invention and expansion of celluloid materials set the stage for emulsion substrates lighter than glass. Around 1886 roll film … Continue reading →

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Happy Canada Day Y’all

Posted on July 1, 2020 by Robert

Toronto. What a great day to celebrate! On this day in 1867, our country took on a life of its own. And we owe it all to our dear friensd to the south, The American civil war of the 1860s … Continue reading →

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a hazardous accessory

Posted on June 30, 2020 by Robert

Toronto. We often consider the tripod as an innocuous accessory to stabilize photos and movies. The skit shown when the icon at left  is clicked shows just how risky that nefarious accessory can be. The tripod in question was used … Continue reading →

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four, square, and fake?

Posted on June 28, 2020 by Robert

Toronto. With the ever challenging push for market share, Kodak slayed inept film changing with its Kodapak 126 for Instamatics and the flash bulb fumble with a four pack of mini flash bulbs in its flashcube that goes off and … Continue reading →

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