Category Archives: processes

darkroom dreamin on a winter’s day

Posted on September 25, 2019 by Robert

Toronto. To paraphrase the Mamas and Papas 1966 song, “California Dreamin” – and it’s not winter yet. In the days of film, all the magic took place in the darkroom under the dim glow of the ruby or later dirty … Continue reading →

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time after time

Posted on August 4, 2019 by Robert

Toronto. Back around 1960, I built my first darkroom. After an enlarger, my first purchase was a Gralab timer. This was when I first began developing and printing at home – high school and my time in Labrador and northern … Continue reading →

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docs on docs

Posted on August 2, 2019 by Robert

Toronto. Movies and videos are either fiction or non-fiction, the latter we call documentaries. The documentaries cover people, places or things from various perspectives to help the viewer understand more about them. Many people view television for entertainment, news and … Continue reading →

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papering things over

Posted on June 28, 2019 by Robert

Toronto. The Toronto Public Library Archive is another source we have for photographic history. Eastman Kodak Solio paper was a Printing Out Paper or P.O.P.  This paper was primarily used to proof studio shots. When my eldest was born, a … Continue reading →

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it ain’t over yet!

Posted on June 24, 2019 by Robert

Toronto. About 40 years ago I wondered why the old process lingered on long after a new process was available. Now I know. Serious folk invested in the older process so they changed slowly to the new. And the older … Continue reading →

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50 ways to lose a lover

Posted on June 8, 2019 by Robert

Toronto. In the 1950s the marketeers at the camera companies struggled to make their products stand out from the herd. No item was too tiny to be touted as the biggest improvement ever in photography. Some changes where indeed useful, … Continue reading →

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a colourful view

Posted on June 7, 2019 by Robert

Toronto. In the 1950s, the best colour shots were colour slides. Realistic colours, very high resolution, and visible to a whole room full of people. Of course everyone had to sit in the dark as each slide was projected on … Continue reading →

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paper it over

Posted on May 2, 2019 by Robert

Toronto. Once you have film negatives, they must be printed on photographic paper to be reversed. In the hey-day of film you had a wide number of choices to make: paper size, surface treatment, colour, manufacturer, grade, thickness, contact or … Continue reading →

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roll your own

Posted on May 1, 2019 by Robert

Toronto. When film and 35mm cameras were all the rage, a significant savings could be realized by buying bulk 25, 50, or 100 foot rolls of 35mm film, In the darkroom, the film roll was placed in a light tight … Continue reading →

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pictures on the spot

Posted on April 27, 2019 by Robert

Toronto. In the last half of the last century, photography had a number of goals for improvement for amateurs. Three come to mind: Faster media, so pictures could be taken indoors or at night; colour at lower cost; and faster … Continue reading →

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