Category Archives: history

a brilliant idea

Posted on May 24, 2022 by Robert

Toronto. For most of the 20th century, film reigned supreme in photography. In 1933 for example, the cheap Voigtlander Brilliant TLR camera was touted as the “The New ‘Good Companion’ for Movie Directors” in the April, 1933 edition of the magazine, International … Continue reading →

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be still, my heart

Posted on May 23, 2022 by Robert

Toronto. I don’t remember when I first saw the movie King Kong, but I was transfixed by the adventure. Years later I was astonished to learn that some scenes of the huge ape were shot with a six inch model … Continue reading →

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to colour or not to colour – that is the question

Posted on May 22, 2022 by Robert

Toronto. Now-a-days most photos are taken in colour. Black and white is just one of the ‘special effects’ that can be used. Some apps like Photoshop even let you adjust various colours to be darker or lighter shades of grey. … Continue reading →

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when a built-in range finder was news

Posted on May 21, 2022 by Robert

Toronto. Since  before the Leica, Leitz made and sold various range finders. In  the summer of 1932, Leitz announced a new model of their tiny camera with the range finder built-in. A magnification of the scene compensated for its short … Continue reading →

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another important job for photography

Posted on May 20, 2022 by Robert

Toronto. The May 1945 Popular Mechanics has a small article on the use of the Fairchild Aerial Camera and its 24 inch lens over Tokyo. In the waning days of WW2, America was getting ready to end things in the … Continue reading →

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not up to code …

Posted on May 17, 2022 by Robert

Toronto. Photography has many uses. One is recording work places for history. This photo of the “camera room” at our National Archives in 1910 makes me shutter! A fire such as the one that consumed a large chunk of our … Continue reading →

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good lord! a Deardorff!

Posted on May 15, 2022 by Robert

Toronto. Things that seemed so important decades ago are not even a consideration today. This advertisement from the January, 1930 magazine called American Cinematographer is a case in point. A rising and falling front with a short focus lens was … Continue reading →

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first motion picture (movie)?

Posted on May 14, 2022 by Robert

Toronto.  My good friend, George Dunbar, writes, “For those of us who have an interest in the history of motion pictures, there’s now a new book about the ‘first known motion picture’ — The Man Who Invented Motion Pictures, A … Continue reading →

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getcha daily colour here!

Posted on May 13, 2022 by Robert

Toronto. The Universal Camera Corporation in the Big Apple (NYC) made many still cameras such as the popular Mercury with the weird circular shutter. They also made movie cameras and projectors. This ad appeared in the August, 1941 issue of … Continue reading →

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a reluctant subject …

Posted on May 12, 2022 by Robert

Toronto. My odd subject complained about being photographed, but was never physically abusive. However, the subject in this photograph (kangaroo) was something else! Taken in the 1960s, the photo is number 20 of some 30 images shownon the demilked web … Continue reading →

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