Category Archives: history

another one bites the dust

Posted on June 1, 2023 by Robert

Toronto. Well, May 2o23 is but a memory. I guess the late Freddie Mercury said it  best (just ignore how he looks). Speaking of closeups, capturing photos of tiny objects at life size or even larger takes extra care with … Continue reading →

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computer to the rescue

Posted on May 31, 2023 by Robert

Toronto. In the early 1950s we were blessed with very costly and very crude computers (and little idea of how they could be used). A decade later, massive ‘mechanization’ projects were underway to use computers to do the work of … Continue reading →

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snapshots and history

Posted on May 30, 2023 by Robert

Toronto. Snapshots are photographs usually taken by amateurs, often by the only person in the family who routinely records events and family members. Without such photographs, we may not remember how family members looked as they grew. If not captured, … Continue reading →

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Volleyball, anyone?

Posted on May 29, 2023 by Robert

Toronto. Most of us can remember the photograph in the late 1800s showing dignitaries at “the last spike” in the CPR line connecting BC with the rest of Canada without need to detour down into the States. In this case, … Continue reading →

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trying for the gravy train

Posted on May 27, 2023 by Robert

Toronto. When TV hit the big time, radio and movies were predicted to die. Fortunately both survived TV. In any case companies relying on the movies tried to expand their market by hopping on the TV bandwagon. Among them was … Continue reading →

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when ‘BC’ meant battery-capacitor

Posted on May 26, 2023 by Robert

Toronto. One of the nagging things affecting the wide use of flash bulbs was the risk of having dying batteries when the old camera and flash were dug out to be used for an event. For a brief period of … Continue reading →

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do you remember Kodachrome?

Posted on May 22, 2023 by Robert

Toronto. From the late 1800s to pre WW2, colour was a huge challenge. The additive colour process was very slow. Mosaics and fine screens were used to record and display colour photographs. Colour photography was revolutionized in 1935 when Kodachrome … Continue reading →

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golden rule days

Posted on May 21, 2023 by Robert

Toronto. Remember your grade school days? My dad went to a little one room country school. At his school, children couldn’t attend unless they could walk the miles from farm to school house. He was seven when he started school. … Continue reading →

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another way to make money …

Posted on May 20, 2023 by Robert

Toronto. … with photography! Weegee in NYC last century seemed to find many ways to make money from his photography besides taking street photos at night of crimes, etc. –  like books and promotions. George Dunbar writes, “Weegee, one of … Continue reading →

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cool!

Posted on May 19, 2023 by Robert

Toronto. When I saw this article sent to me by George Dunbar, it reminded me of two things: the movie shorts about  ‘Our Gang‘ and the Saturday Evening Post sketches by well known illustrator, Norman Rockwell. Anyone who studied optics … Continue reading →

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