Category Archives: history

… with fries

Posted on May 6, 2024 by Robert

Toronto.  … Add-ons are always a way to increase sales/profits. In film photography add-ons or accessories, as they are often called, helped the photographer create better/different photos. In the mid 1950s built-in meters were uncommon yet an exposure meter was … Continue reading →

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out, damned spot!

Posted on May 5, 2024 by Robert

Toronto. … with apologies to Bill and his Lady Macbeth. Bill was born long before photography was announced. When the minicam became prominent in the mid 1930s, negatives were enlarged out of necessity. And the nightmare began. To darkroom photographers, … Continue reading →

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its a selfie, silly

Posted on April 29, 2024 by Robert

Toronto. My good friend George Dunbar came across this photo of two girls at an exhibition. They were hamming it up with a landline handset. The photo is remarkably similar to a modern ‘selfie’ taken with a Smartphone’s front facing … Continue reading →

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exciting to now and future viewers

Posted on April 26, 2024 by Robert

Toronto. Past president Les Jones recently dropped me an email showing this link on Bored Panda titled, “50 Interesting Historical Photos That Might Change Your Perspective On The Past“. The photos are accompanied with a text commentary and date. Take … Continue reading →

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snap shot or tech shot?

Posted on April 22, 2024 by Robert

Toronto. In the early days of transistors, the tiny marvels couldn’t operate very far beyond audio frequencies. In the late 1950s, Philco managed to create a transistor usable at radio freqencies. The SB100 transistor, as it was named, was offered … Continue reading →

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fond memories

Posted on April 21, 2024 by Robert

Toronto. George Dunbar recently sent me an email regarding this Kodak ad in the April, 1956 issue of Popular Mechanics. It brought back many memories. I used all the films noted at one time or another. As far as I … Continue reading →

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modern day macro photography

Posted on April 20, 2024 by Robert

Toronto. In the days of film and film cameras, lenses rarely focussed on subjects closer than a metre. Newer lenses would focus down to a half metre or some times a few inches closer. Macro shots were initially taken with … Continue reading →

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remembering DuPont photo products

Posted on April 19, 2024 by Robert

Toronto. We all remember Kodak products and most will recall Ansco and Ilford photo products. But do you remember the other products like those made by DuPont – both film and paper? I did a post on Dupont the summer … Continue reading →

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fantastic machine

Posted on April 18, 2024 by Robert

Toronto. At 90, my good friend George Dunbar still manages to scour the web for interesting photographic items. Recently George discovered a preview of the Swedish/Danish film  called “fantastic machine” on the Strand Releasing site. George writes, ‘”Fantastic Machine” from … Continue reading →

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a rare wet plate camera in good condition

Posted on April 17, 2024 by Robert

Toronto. In June of 1998 this rare wet plate camera (sans lens) resided with member Bill Kantymir. Bill Belier in his “treasure” column traces it from its manufacture in England to an Ontario collection with stops a long the way … Continue reading →

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