Category Archives: history

boxer

Posted on December 26, 2023 by Robert

Toronto. And here we are once again at an official boxing day! To commemorate this event, at left is an old film box camera from a recent auction lot. Box cameras are the basic camera design: a fixed focus lens … Continue reading →

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t’was the night …

Posted on December 24, 2023 by Robert

Toronto. Christmas eve again. That magical night loved by all children when ‘Santa’ drops by with gifts for all the children on his list. We at PHSC wish you and your family a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year … Continue reading →

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a subjective choice

Posted on December 23, 2023 by Robert

Toronto. We are about an hour’s drive from one of the world’s most famous falls – Niagara. The photo at left is from the late 1970s on Kodachrome transparency film. In spite of its slow speed and high contrast, Kodachome … Continue reading →

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a true artist

Posted on December 22, 2023 by Robert

Toronto. Before photography, artists used pencil, charcoal, brush, and paint to create a ‘likeness’ of a well to do person. The wealthier and more famous the person, the better he/she could afford a well known painter – a true artist. … Continue reading →

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frozen in time

Posted on December 21, 2023 by Robert

Toronto. Sometimes climate change uncovers a disaster from years past. In this case an event nearly 50 years old. George Dunbar came across this NY Times article (you need an account to read the original article as NYT has a … Continue reading →

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for meter collectors

Posted on December 20, 2023 by Robert

Toronto.  Many camera collectors also collect exposure meters and calculators. My own collection includes a handful of both. The ad shown here is from the December, 1946 LIFE magazine. George Dunbar, who generously shared it with us, found it while … Continue reading →

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long, long, ago

Posted on December 19, 2023 by Robert

Toronto. As I mentioned many times before, museums, archives, and libraries often hold photographs which are a rich source of history. The museum in Riverdale, California, while far away is a case in point. Typical of their holdings is the … Continue reading →

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clowning around

Posted on December 17, 2023 by Robert

Toronto. Taking a break from stills, my good friend, George Dunbar, found this ad for Castle Films. Most of our members are ‘stills’ professionals or collect still cameras and images. The occasional member is keen on movies as well (the … Continue reading →

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selfies galore

Posted on December 16, 2023 by Robert

Toronto. Photographers both professional and amateur elect or are prodded to record groups – organizations, schools, military, bands, special events, etc. Some photographers even specialized and used special cameras (e.g. Cirkut) or extreme wide angle lenses (e.g. Zeiss Protars) to … Continue reading →

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creating a buzz

Posted on December 15, 2023 by Robert

Toronto. George Dunbar sent me an email recently regarding another source of photo-history. George writes, “Another unique online archive gallery here. The site uses eHive which is a CMS (Collection/Content Management System) like WordPress. In fact there is a plug-in … Continue reading →

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