Category Archives: history

who the heck is Hurter?

Posted on June 3, 2020 by Robert

Toronto. Ferd Hurter and Chuck Driffield worked together in England. They were known in glass plate and film days for the H&D Curve. In 1890, the two spent their spare time as amateur photographers. They gained recognition after publishing  a … Continue reading →

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use da fixer

Posted on May 31, 2020 by Robert

Toronto. The first successful photographic processes used a weak salt solution as a fixer. Earlier experiments showed silver nitrate solutions reacted to light and could record scenes, BUT the silver nitrates quietly turned the whole medium dark. There was no … Continue reading →

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as time goes by

Posted on May 30, 2020 by Robert

Toronto. The first T in the TNT film processing method  stands for Time. Using a darkroom tank or a daylight tank, it was necessary to use this method of processing a film. Many companies offered a decent timer. This one … Continue reading →

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stop already!

Posted on May 29, 2020 by Robert

Toronto. We know how to begin film or paper developing – just pour in the developer. But how do we stop the process? The sensitive media absorbs the developer so even draining it off or removing the media won’t stop … Continue reading →

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doin’ it in the dark

Posted on May 28, 2020 by Robert

Toronto, When light sensitive media were very slow and insensitive to the lower end of the spectrum (reds, oranges), the photographer’s eye could judge a fully developed image by subdued light or reddish illumination. About a century ago, flexible roll … Continue reading →

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tanks for de memories …

Posted on May 27, 2020 by Robert

Toronto. In the days of film, exposure created a latent image, invisible to the eye. A chemical reaction to a hand full of chemicals, including at least one which converted and clumped silver halide molecules exposed to light into metallic … Continue reading →

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ad for speed and innovation c1964

Posted on May 26, 2020 by Robert

Toronto. This is another ad for the film world’s maverick, Polaroid. The company down plays the COST of its film and paper combination by emphasizing the technology and simplicity of its cameras, the tonal and colour fidelity of its materials, … Continue reading →

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things go better …

Posted on May 23, 2020 by Robert

Toronto. … with Coke, or so they say. In 1964 Coke used a B&W copy of this advertisement to inform the general public that both Coke and Coca-Cola are the trademarks of the same big company. A camera signified just … Continue reading →

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it’s in the cards

Posted on May 19, 2020 by Robert

Toronto. Over a century ago, before movies, radio, television, computers, and smart phones, a key source of education and entertainment was the stereo card.  These slightly curved bits of cardboard held two photos (usually taken at slightly different angles, although … Continue reading →

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up close and personal

Posted on May 17, 2020 by Robert

Toronto. I took this shot in October 2014 with a century old Zeiss licensed, Krauss made Tessar 35mm f/3.5 at f/22 after looking at the soil sample under a Leitz stereo microscope using 12.5x, 50x, and 100x magnification. The Tessar … Continue reading →

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