far out, man!

Posted on July 14, 2022 by Robert

star forming region of Carina Nircam courtesy of NASA (and CSA and ESA)

Toronto. Shades of Cheech and Chong! NASA has posted the first images from the James Webb Space Telescope shot up in space. The name of the Space Telescope remains controversial.  It was carried by a space vehicle shot up in space in December, 2021. The pictures were taken by the telescope now 1 million miles above the earth!

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope is a partnership with ESA (European Space Agency) and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) The Canadian agency is located in St Hubert, QC, just south of Montreal.

Once again we can see the tremendous impact photography has, not only on earth, but in the far reaches of space. Photography has many uses today in helping mankind to understand its role in the universe. Browse the photos on the above links and you too will be amazed at the way our art helps everyone better understand our world and the great universe!

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street walker

Posted on July 13, 2022 by Robert

snapping a strolling couple, 1934 style

Toronto. Not that kind! Some cities have a street photographer who snaps folks walking the streets just like him/her. For example, Vancouver had its Foncie – his fame spred well beyond Vancouver.

This November, 1934 article from Popular Mechanics tells how some photographers use a shoulder held movie camera to get a trio of fast shots.

Like most street photographers, the subject is given a card to retrieve the photos (card plus coin).  A good percentage of cards were submitted for photos last century when photography took special talent.  The card identified the correct prints (hopefully) while the coin paid for the prints and postage (in the days when stamps were inexpensive).

My thanks to good friend and photo history bug, George Dunbar,  for sharing this odd article about ways a movie camera can take photos of people as they stroll along the city streets.

 

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smartphone, anyone?

Posted on July 12, 2022 by Robert

Pictures by Phone back then

Toronto. This November, 1934 article from Popular Mechanics brought back memories. Mid last century, the telephone was still voice-only in spite of this article decades earlier. As a young employee of “Ma Bell’, I remember Bell Labs in New Jersey tinkering with a gadget to send tiny B&W images over the telephone line to another person with similar gear.

Today, such conversations are common place – but not via the lowly ‘land line’ telephone. Computers, be they desktop, laptop, or smartphone, routinely allow conversations and videos between people. The old telephone? Nah, still just voice (although clearer than in yesteryear).

Today, we can even hold conferences and online teaching with people viewing people and notes or photos – all by the above media. My thanks to good friend, George Dunbar, for suggesting this article and the memories it brought back of the days when we felt (well, me anyway) that the Bell System would produce the ‘video phone’. We had no idea of the bandwidth we would need for such a venture to become reality. At the time, a quality telephone line ran about 100 cycles to 5,000 cycles – not even close to the bandwidth necessary for colour video.

To multiply the number of calls that a line could carry, we used ‘carrier systems’. For example the ‘N carrier’ offered 12 lines at a heavy penalty. Repeater stations had to be located every seven miles or so with every third station large enough to house huge Ni Cad batteries to power the repeaters at the station and either side of it.

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watch da birdie

Posted on July 11, 2022 by Robert

watch da birdie

Toronto. As WW2 was winding down, companies became more innovative in their advertising. Pepsi-Cola – the major competitor to Coke – tried a humorous approach using a cartoon based on the old idea of a studio photographer capturing a portrait of a reluctant child.

When the traditional ‘birdie’ didn’t work, the photographer held up a bottle of Pepsi. It worked – too well! The poor photographer ended up taking  the wrong portrait!

The  expression, “watch the birdie” was intended for children. Photographers used a toy bird (sometimes it even whistled) in an effort to catch the child’s eye. And an interesting pose for mom and dad. Occasionally our fairs and auctions have an old ‘birdie’ used by photographers in the late 1800s – early 1900s. In fact there was one offered in an estate auction we held earlier this spring.

My thanks to good friend and fellow PHSC member, George Dunbar, for this c1944 comic advertisement from Popular Mechanics magazine.

 

 

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night scenes

Posted on July 10, 2022 by Robert

Kodak ad Nov 1934 for ways to snap night scenes

Toronto. Today’s savvy smartphone and digital camera users would roll their collective eyes at anyone touting ‘night scenes’ as a big deal. But it really was back in the mid 1930s in the days of slow film and generally slow lenses.

Kodak had a ready solution: turn every serious amateur into a studio mogul on the cheap! This November, 1934 advertisement lets the cat out of the bag – so to speak. Just buy a genuine Kodak camera plus a couple of flood lights and a ‘super fast’ B&W film. The main criteria was the ‘couple of flood lights’. Following Kodak’s guide for subject/light/camera placement, a decent photo was inevitable!

Our thanks to good friend and fellow photo history enthusiast. George Dunbar, for this trip down memory lane and the days when ‘night scenes’ usually meant food lights.

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flexing some muscle

Posted on July 9, 2022 by Robert

1944 ad for Argoflex camera

Toronto. Argus was known for American made cameras, especially the ‘brick‘ – the Argus C3. However, the company also dabbled in TLR designs. This ad shown at left is for the Argoflex – Likely a model E given the date and look – although the company did make an earlier TLR simply named Argoflex.

The basic lens and shutter have some settings (at least one article calls the plain Argoflex a ‘box camera’). The design mimics the Rollei cameras of the day which were unavailable here or in the States after WW2 began.

This ad is from the June, 1944 issue of Popular Mechanics, hence the war theme. My thanks to my good friend, George Dunbar, for sharing this find with us. I can only recall the 35mm cameras Argus sold over the years. Nevertheless, visit our trunk sale this month – you may fine a TLR for your collection – even an Argoflex …

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giving it both barrels

Posted on July 8, 2022 by Robert

A Kodak 35mm camera made for colour transparencies.

Toronto. Kodachrome movie film was release in 1935 followed a year later as 35mm ‘slide’ film. The whole spectrum of Kodachrome films and processing were redesigned in 1938.

In 1940, Kodak strongly promoted the new colour film for amateurs with a line of 35mm cameras, and 2×2 inch slide projectors. Both cameras and projectors were heavily advertised in ads such as this June, 1940 ad in Popular Mechanics hitting Kodachrome, cameras, projectors and the NY World’s Fair (1939-1940) which opened in 1939 when WW2 hadn’t yet touched the huge and wealthy American nation. (The ad says ‘field’ a sly reference to the NY World’s Fair in Flushing Meadows, Queens.)

A big thank you to that photography historian and good friend, George Dunbar. George kindly shared this find with us. As I noted elsewhere, my first use of Kodachrome was in the late 1950s when the transparency film had an incredibly slow ASA 10 rating. As knowledgeable photographers can attest, films with such low sensitivity are extremely contrasty. Over expose a stop and the slide seems washed out but under expose a stop and you get almost blackness.

Thus exposing for highlights gave inky shadows while exposing for shadows gave washed out highlights bereft of detail.

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did ya hear da news ….

Posted on July 7, 2022 by Robert

Trident Hall home of our Fall Fair – October 1st, 2022

Toronto. Well the Ontario election is over. A bit underwhelming all in all, but Dougie is back in power and the Trident Hall is open for business once again.

Our FALL FAIR – THE BIG ONE – is on Saturday, OCTOBER 1st, at the TRIDENT HALL (Evans and Islington) in westend Toronto this year (Note the day:SATURDAY).

Free parking, modest admission cost, good food. As usual there will be cameras, lenses, accessories, darkroom gear, studio stuff, camaraderie, books, film, digital things – all there to add to your collection or shooting equipment whether you favour film or digital!

Want a table? contact fair@phsc.ca and place your request/pay the fee. A reservation form in pdf format is on this site here and under FAIRS in the black horizontal menu bar above.

No idea where the hall is located? Not to worry, as we near October, directions etc will be posted here.

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PHSC Trunk Sale July 16, 2022

Posted on July 6, 2022 by Robert

Our Annual Outdoor Trunk Sale at Trident Hall this year is on SATURDAY, July 16th, 2022 from 8am until Noon. Vendors – call Clint (see poster below) to reserve a spot! Need more information? Email fair@phsc.ca or info@phsc.ca! Use this old map on the Big One Bookmark for TTC and parking (sorry, no snack bar).

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last call

Posted on July 5, 2022 by Robert

Fishing nets on Kodak ASA 800 colour negative film

Toronto. Twenty years ago this month was the last time I ever shot film. I used Kodak colour negative film with a rating of ASA 800 – an amazing speed at the time. The film was used during a trip out west.

Preparing for the trip, I had both my Leica M4 and a Coolpix 990 (about 3.14 mpx) as choices. The month-long trip around BC and Alberta  by rail, boat, and auto was with my youngest. I had planned to take the 990, using the trip as an excuse to buy more digital cards. I was soundly outvoted and ended up taking my all mechanical Leica instead.

I added a 50mm lens and a 28mm lens plus a Gossen light meter. The Gossen used mercury cells which were banned by then. I belatedly found out that a converter to fit the Gossen was ‘special order’, so instead I used alkaline cells and calibrated the meter each morning.  I think the shot at left was during our visit to Prince Rupert – fishing nets resting on the pier.

Since returning home, I have used various digital cameras. My newest being an elderly NEX-6 (16.1 mpx) along with the camera in the last version of the iPod Touch (8 mpx). Both have auto white balance, auto focus, auto metering, etc. making them nearly idiot proof.

I still have my M4. While I like the ease and flexibility digital technology, analogue images developed and carefully printed have a certain mystique about them. As I think film, I think those were the days! To modern day folk, film was a dead slow media and old film cameras just unforgiving mechanical and optical instruments. Good results took skill, not just pointing and clicking… Last call, anyone?

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