Category Archives: history

expensive words

Posted on September 28, 2023 by Robert

Toronto. The old chestnut says a picture is worth a 1000 words. If so, the 14,000 words for these 14 daguerreotypes are worth nearly $39 USD each! Many Canadians remember the stories of Franklin and his two ill-fated vessels, the … Continue reading →

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hot pix, it’s a phoney; hot pix it’s a phoney …

Posted on September 27, 2023 by Robert

Toronto.  … with apologies to Karen Shopsowitz and her family. You couldn’t live here 60 years ago without hearing the jingle, “hotdog, it’s a Shopsy” or visit the city without buying one of those delicious hot dogs from her father’s … Continue reading →

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you can call me Max

Posted on September 26, 2023 by Robert

Toronto. As you know, a camera needs a lens to capture an image. Leitz had just such a lens designer. In 1912 according to Dr Kingslake in his 1989 book, “A History of the Photographic Lens“, a young Dr Max … Continue reading →

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an Oscar for design

Posted on September 25, 2023 by Robert

Toronto. In 1914, a young German visited NYC. He brought along a tiny experimental ‘device’ that looked nothing like the cameras of the day. He took photos like the one at left with the people on the street oblivious to … Continue reading →

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celebrating niche enthusiasts

Posted on September 24, 2023 by Robert

Toronto. You may have noticed that a small group of photographers continue to use film, preferring its ambiance  over digital technology. It may be a novelty to you having old technology linger on, but this has occurred over the centuries … Continue reading →

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having a blast

Posted on September 23, 2023 by Robert

Toronto. While not directly related to photography – other than the book’s photos, this book was the basis for the recent movie whose release prompted  an unexpected box-office success. I first learned of Oppenheimer as a youth interested in the … Continue reading →

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magazine photography

Posted on September 22, 2023 by Robert

Toronto. A big presence in the magazine world of last century was LIFE magazine. The magazine, based in NYC, had its own stable of photographers. In October, 1998, a book by John Loengard, called “Life Photographers: What They Saw” was … Continue reading →

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a crash course

Posted on September 21, 2023 by Robert

Toronto. We are so accustomed today to full colour photos/videos if not the actual people, scenery,  concerts, theatre, etc, that we never give it a second thought. That was not always the case. Think about not having photography or photographers. … Continue reading →

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beyond macro

Posted on September 7, 2023 by Robert

Toronto. In the days of minicams (mainly 35mm),  subjects could be focussed from infinity down to about a metre. Any subject closer needed accessories like front element lenses, extension tubes, bellows, or special closeup stands. If a lens was asymmetrical, … Continue reading →

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memory makers

Posted on September 6, 2023 by Robert

Toronto. To a photographer, photography is a business. The end result is payment for the prints or photographs or album (more likely images, videos, or files these days). But to his subject or their family he is a ‘memory maker’. … Continue reading →

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