Category Archives: history

ya can’t win ’em all …

Posted on February 20, 2023 by Robert

Toronto. There’s an old saying, “one born every minute” attributed to P T Barnum but actually older. The resulting population subset forms the potential audience for the type of gadget advertised in a 1950 issue of Popular Mechanics. Utilitron, the … Continue reading →

Posted in history | Tagged , , | Comments Off on ya can’t win ’em all …

Lucy

Posted on February 19, 2023 by Robert

Toronto. The Camera Lucida was often used by artists to view both the scene in front of them and the canvas in their lap. This marvellous little optical device  (Lucy) was invented by Wollaston around 1806. It is forever tied … Continue reading →

Posted in history | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Lucy

closings and openings

Posted on February 17, 2023 by Robert

Toronto. An optimist would say as a door closes, another opens. That is, as technology goes ahead, old jobs and industries die off and new ones take their place. Photography is no different. When it was announced in 1839, a … Continue reading →

Posted in history | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on closings and openings

Morse and Photography

Posted on February 16, 2023 by Robert

Toronto. Samuel F B Morse was both an artist (painter), and teacher. Closely involved with the North American telegraph, his name lives on as the co-inventor of the Morse Code.  This a code known to telegraphers and amateur radio operators … Continue reading →

Posted in history | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Morse and Photography

outta da blue

Posted on February 15, 2023 by Robert

Toronto. After my girls were graduated (about 1999), I bought them each a Konica  film camera with built-in metering, flash, and 35mm f/2.8  lens. One camera was red; the other blue. Both came with a matching case. One daughter was … Continue reading →

Posted in history | Tagged , , | Comments Off on outta da blue

ol’ two (three) eyes

Posted on February 14, 2023 by Robert

Toronto. The art of stereo predates photography. Every half century or so this niche art becomes popular once again and companies publish papers and books; make movies; and even make cameras devoted to stereo. Even Kodak jumped in at one … Continue reading →

Posted in history | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on ol’ two (three) eyes

I see, I measure

Posted on February 13, 2023 by Robert

Toronto. Photography by its very nature demands a certain amount of light. Surprisingly, measuring light was not an easy task until well into the last century. From photography’s inception, books and pamphlets gave suggested lens settings and timings for a … Continue reading →

Posted in history | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on I see, I measure

a book for the bug brigade

Posted on February 12, 2023 by Robert

Toronto. In the days of film photography large manufactures produced not only advertisements for their products but many booklets, books, brochures, pamphlets, etc showing how to do various photographs using a manufacturer’s products. Kodak was no different. Their written materials … Continue reading →

Posted in history | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on a book for the bug brigade

just another name

Posted on February 10, 2023 by Robert

Toronto. The photo at left by Steve McCurry caught my eye. To me the name Street Photographer always meant a lone soul who scoured the city streets to snap photos of willing tourists, or wandered the streets like Fred Herzog recording the … Continue reading →

Posted in history | Tagged , , | Comments Off on just another name

an ‘Arctic Madonna’ c 1937

Posted on February 8, 2023 by Robert

Toronto. Many of us have seen and enjoyed the photography of the late George Hunter, including his iconic portraits of the Inuit people. Surprisingly, an American photographer visited the far north to photograph its people for LIFE magazine back in … Continue reading →

Posted in history | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on an ‘Arctic Madonna’ c 1937