another important job for photography

Posted on May 20, 2022 by Robert

Fairchild K-18 Aerial Camera with 24 inch lens

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 Pacific with its historic bombing of Japan (Hiroshima and Nagasaki) with the world’s first atomic bombs (dirty bombs that exploded radioactive uranium to make  a lot of heat, lesser elements, plus a lot of dangerous radiation).

Work was underway in the southwestern states to perfect the bombs while mapping and weather forecasting technology watched over Japan. George Dunbar discovered this piece of photographic history from that bellicose period (sound familiar) and shared it with me.

Now, nearly 8 decades later and far wiser about bombs, war and radiation (Three Mile Island; Chernobyl; etc), we still have demigods who haven’t learnt or refuse to learn of the terrible dangers to the world if radiation is once again cut loose – be it by accident or design.

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it’s a wide wide world

Posted on May 19, 2022 by Robert

Legendary Peaks, Three Peaks, Dolomites, Italy – copyright by Daniel Trippolt

Toronto. It’s time again to enter your pano shots to the Epson Pano Awards for 2022. Daniel Trippolt was chosen as this year’s top amateur photographer. The photo at left is an example of his work.

Daniel writes, “I was born in 1992 and come from Carinthia / Austria. I discovered my passion for photography when I was 12 years old when my father gave me my first camera. Every free second of my free time was used to take photos of everything and everyone. From animal photography to sports, architecture and portrait photography, I tried everything and found my greatest passion and hobby in landscape photography. Here I am very much into hyperreal landscape photography, which distinguishes me from most Austrian landscape photographers.

“Landscape photography has become a huge part of my life, even if I don’t have as much time to invest as full-time landscape photographers. The Corona [COVID] crisis in the last two years has limited my landscape photography hobby a lot. Which is why I’m all the more happy about my success in this competition.

“In 2017 I could finally buy my first digital reflex camera and since then I have not stopped learning and perfecting myself in this beautiful art being able to combine my passion for photography and nature, until now I have not stopped documenting myself in an autodidactic way learning to understand light and perfecting my technique in the use of the camera as well as in the subsequent digital edition of my images which for me is something fundamental. My specialty is landscape photography but I have also developed a special interest in architectural and wildlife photography.”

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shine a light on me

Posted on May 18, 2022 by Robert

shadow in the garden

Toronto. One of the most important things in photography is lighting. The choice of illumination sets the tone and atmosphere of the resulting image. Natural light aficionados  have it easier – choose the angle and framing for the best shot. Close-ups can use a light tent, or careful placement (and a single light source).

Studio perfectionists have it much harder. Lighting must be chosen to cast the right shadows; to brighten the right areas; to set the overall mood the photographer wants to capture.

On the How-To Geek website, the post called, “The Best Photography Lighting Kits of 2022” is a review by ELIZABETH HENGES of the article by JOHN BOGNA. Have a look at the available lighting gear John recommends.

The post title is that of a song by BANNERS.

 

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not up to code …

Posted on May 17, 2022 by Robert

1910 photo of the photostat (camera) room in the National Archives.

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 parliament buildings a half dozen years later could have easily occurred here too.

I imagine back over a century, the modern building codes intended to reduce the risk of loss of life, simply did not exist. When we operated a store here in the big smoke, we had periodic visits from the fire department to ensure we were up to code and kept the risk of death by fire to our staff and customers at an absolute minimum.

My thanks for this photograph of a very busy room in the National Archives back in 1910 go to George Dunbar. George is always so generous in sharing these rather rare bits of photographic history with us and our readers.

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our May 18 ZOOM presentation

Posted on May 16, 2022 by Robert

Toronto. Join us this Wednesday at 8:00 pm to hear Rev Max Dionisio.

“Rev. Dr. Max Dionisio is the Acting Head of the Royal Ontario Museum’s Library, and Head Librarian of the Bishop White Committee Library of East Asia, as well as Library Studies Professor at the University of Toronto’s iSchool.

“He will be discussing the work of the BWCLEA holdings and recent acquisitions of photographic rare books and other primary sources that are helping tell a fuller history of photography in Asia.”

Register and see more about the event, just click the poster or go on EventBrite here. Problems or questions, email our programme coordinator at program@phsc.ca.

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good lord! a Deardorff!

Posted on May 15, 2022 by Robert

remember Deardorff cameras?

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 de rigour back then for street photos of sky scrapers so the photographer could keep the building lines parallel and capture all of the building in his shot.

This feature was so important that Deardorff chose to highlight it as a way to separate their cameras from the herd.

We must thank my good friend George Dunbar for sharing this find with us. Well done, George!

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first motion picture (movie)?

Posted on May 14, 2022 by Robert

was this the very first movie?

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 True Tale of Obsession, Murder and the Movies by Paul Fischer (Simon & Schuster).

“Most Americans will identify Thomas Edison as the original inventor, while the French will applaud the Lumiére brothers, Auguste and Louis, whose early films were shown at the Toronto Industrial Fair (CNE) in 1896. The English of course, and many others who have seen the British biopic, The Magic Box (1951) will credit William Friese-Greene.

“The new book by Paul Fischer tells the tale of Louis Le Prince. These few frames [click on the above left icon] are from a two-second clip of his 1888 movie.”

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getcha daily colour here!

Posted on May 13, 2022 by Robert

a colourful B&W ad from 1941

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 Popular Mechanics, just months before America was finally dragged into WW2 and a few years after Kodachrome revolutionized colour film. Aspiring amateur movie cameraman were the target of this campaign.

My thanks to our favourite photo researcher, George Dunbar, for sharing this bit of photographic history with us. As a youth I bought many issues of this magazine which at the time was the premier ‘mechanics/science’ magazine for all aspiring do-it-yourselfers. It was also quite thick at the time.

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a reluctant subject …

Posted on May 12, 2022 by Robert

who says photography is risky?

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 site under the title “30 Historical Pics That Might Make You See Things From A Different Perspective, As Shared By This Facebook Group“.

My thanks to a long time friend, speaker, PHSC executive participant, PHSC member, and 3D expert extraordinaire, Stan White. Stan taught photography at Sheridan College and practiced the art earlier in the UK and here in the big smoke. Stan worked with our late editor, Ev Roseborough, in Ev’s studio for many years.

 

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give her a hand!

Posted on May 11, 2022 by Robert

huge enlargement from tiny negative shown in an August, 1941 magazine

Toronto. The August, 1941 issue of Popular Mechanics magazine has the article shown here. An image of a human hand was blown up about 52 diameters from the original on a 35mm negative.

Years ago in Montreal, our company enlarged a 35mm negative to about the same size to create a huge poster. The person who snapped the shot and arranged for the huge print was also amazed at the ability to do such a huge blowup.

However, to a trained eye the detail expected was simply not there. In microscopy terms we call this ’empty magnification’ meaning the extra magnification doesn’t show extra detail.

My thanks once again to my good friend, George Dunbar, for sharing this article with us. And of course the so called grain-free enlargement is an accomplishment in its own right whether there is empty magnification for not!

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