having a blast with photography

Posted on May 26, 2021 by Robert

Beirut Blast courtesy of Nabih on Twitter

Toronto. For years our thirst for social media images has decimated the numbers and profits of serious professional photographers. The value of these ‘amateur social media’ recordings changed shortly after the huge blast on Beirut’s waterfront. On August 4th, 2020, world wide news stations and papers reported the massive explosion. After much speculation, it turned out to be caused by incorrectly stored ammonium nitrate.

A few months later, on November 20th, 2020, Jaron Schneider reported on Petapixel the article written by  Andrew Liszewski for Gizmodo called, “Forensic Experts Used Photos and Videos From Social Media to Reconstruct Beirut Explosion“.

The Forensic Experts used readily available stills and short videos on social media to create the time line of the explosion in perhaps a first for crowd sourcing images and video clips to reconstruct an historic event.

My thanks to past president, author, and sports photographer Les Jones for sharing ths amazing source with us.

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NJ Photographer GUSTAVUS PACH (1845-1904)

Posted on May 25, 2021 by Robert

photo by Pach Bros, NJ, courtesy of the Monmouth County Historical Association

Toronto. Our president Lewko (Clint) Hryhorijiw passed along this note from the Monmouth County Historical Association in New Jersey. The MCHA do a number of online presentations. Unfortunately I missed this one on the 20th of May when Gary Saretzky, professor of Photography spoke on Gustavus Pach.

“The Pach Brothers were prolific photographers who captured many facets of Monmouth County history in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. They photographed the fabulously wealthy, but also documented intimate glimpses of everyday American life through their images. If you’ve ever wondered what it was like inside a local apothecary shop, or perhaps how familiar places like the main streets or boardwalks in New Jersey have changed since 1880, then the Pach Brothers are for you!

“See the sights and styles of this bygone era. Cars, clothing, and even beloved pets tell the story of those who lived here well over a century ago. Gary Saretzky, professor of Photography and total rock star among archivists highlight this incredible photography studio with a focus on Gustavus Pach.”

If you are interested in history, have a look at the MCHA web site and join up for the next free monthly lecture.

 

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a marr connection

Posted on May 24, 2021 by Robert

Book on the Boston Studio of T E Marr & Son

Toronto. Journal editor Bob Lansdale sent me an email he recently received from Buffalo announcing a new 110 page photographic history monograph  written by Ron Polito covering another Boston Photographic Studio (other than Southworth & Hawes).

Rob McElroy of Buffalo, NY writes, “I just received the announcement from the Photographic Historical Society of New England (PHSNE) about a fascinating new photo history publication written by PhotoHistory member and author, Ron Polito, which is the culmination of eight years of research into the history, aesthetics and techniques of a little known father and son photographic studio, T. E. Marr (& Son), that was founded in Boston in 1899.  All proceeds from the sale of the book benefit the Society.”

Contact the PHSNE for further details, purchase options, etc. The link is to their temporary website. Alternatively you can visit their page on MagCloud.

Note, the title is a riff on the photographer’s name. Many do it yourselfers as well as all electricians know that Marr Connectors (generically named wire nuts) are used to join electrical wires together without a need to solder and tape the join. Ironically, these common items were patented here in the big smoke a few years before the American patent.

 

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camera boy

Posted on May 23, 2021 by Robert

Camera Boy – left half of a stereo card

Toronto. My good friend and fellow PHSC alumni, George Dunbar spotted this interesting web site and the sample German stereo card added by John Robertson of the UK back on January 18th of this year (2021).

Browse the interesting links to the right side of the British Photographic History website and see how fascinating history can be. The site is hosted by Dr Michael Pritchard who spoke to us October, 1997 on Christie’s Auction House,

Note: The title of this post is an unintentional riff on Loverboy, the Canadian rock band formed in 1979 in Calgary and still around as far as I know. You may have heard one of their songs – their 1980 hit “Turn Me Loose“. This version has many B&W movie clips.

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The Amalgamated Photo History Newsletters Vol 2-5 (May 2021)

Posted on May 22, 2021 by Robert

Amalgamated Newsletters
Vol 2-5, May 2021

Toronto. A couple of special items are reproduced here in our special members-only supplement. As a member of the PHSC, you received this supplement Friday, the 21st of May.

Vol 2-5 was sent out last Friday afternoon to all current members with an email address. If you did NOT get a copy, please email me at info@phsc.ca and I will send you a copy after verification of your membership. Not YET a member? well, for heaven’s sake! Grab your plastic and register via PayPal on the upper right of this page! And you can donate to the society the same way via PayPal, or go to our Canada Helps entry on the link below the PAY NOW button.

In the preamble, journal editor Bob Lansdale write, “Here, I bring you a special story from the Photographic Historical Society of Canada, concerning the D-Day Landings in France, June 6th, 1944. I’ve published this story several times but cannot interest public media to pick it up. They favour “Back to the Beaches” or “The last surviving veteran.” I hope with this world-wide distribution you will pass it on to your local media: press, TV, radio and blogs. Or an Army or Veteran’s magazine which might find it interesting. This new aspect of events may catch their eye. It’s in time for the June 6th anniversary.

“I also include a wonderful layout of pictures on “The Families of the Dump” by Gerry Yaum of Edmonton, Alberta. He recorded the images in Thailand.”

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sink, sank, sunk

Posted on May 21, 2021 by Robert

Silhouette of B-17  bomber off Holland

Toronto. years ago a friend of mine dropped off a camera. Inside was a roll of mostly exposed film. The kicker? The camera was recovered from the glove box of a car that sunk through the ice on a local lake and was left submerged for a few days. I succeeded in the recovery, but the photographs were unremarkable in content.

Recently, my good friend and fellow PHSC member, George Dunbar, sent along this nifty article from the end piece column of the Royal Photographic Society‘s Photographic Journal for February 1974. The column discusses film recovered and successfully processed nearly three decades after the B-17 bomber sunk just off Holland after the German Luftwaffe shot it down.

With careful washing and unrolling it is possible to process and print film that sat in a hostile environment for days or years! By all means enjoy the RPS archives of samples of its remarkable Photographic Journal. The articles are a historic rendering from a British perspective.

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a plausible camera

Posted on May 20, 2021 by Robert

Plaubel Makina III c1930

Toronto. In North America, we considered the Graphic and Graflex cameras the work horses of news hounds. In Europe, this pride of place went to the Plaubel Makina made in Frankfort, Germany.

The Plaubel Makina drawing for this post is courtesy of the late Brian Coe‘s 1978 book titled, “CAMERAS from Daguerreotypes to Instant Pictures“. The book is copyright AB Nordbok in Sweden and my version is the American book published in 1978 by Crown Publishers.

While we are still in lockdown at least to June 2, 2021, Our friends across the lake in Ohio plan to host their first auction in many months. The OCCC annual auction will be held May 21, 2021 from 1-6pm with preview starting at noon the same day. The auction will be an in person event with the usual COVID social distancing rules.

Hopefully, the situation up here north of the border will settle down by this fall/winter so we too can get on with our fairs, auctions, and shows once again. Meantime, the Ohio Camera Collectors Club will be soldiering on with their auction (including at least one Makina).

 

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old wine in new bottles

Posted on May 19, 2021 by Robert

click image for article

Toronto. We often see interesting articles in traditional books that can be held and felt as the pages are turned. Here are a couple of old familiar topics presented using new technology: E- Photo Newsletter #250 for May 13, 2019 has two interesting articles we would traditionally see in hard copy: First is an article covering the desecration of Man Ray’s tomb in Paris; the second by Alex Novak, complains about Instagram’s ‘Heavy-Handed Censorship’ not differentiating between art and obscene images.

Many thanks to my friend, George Dunbar, for once again sharing his discoveries while investigating photographic history.

Note: The title of this post is an old saying that is in turn a riff on a saying in the New Testament of the bible.

 

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look back in anger

Posted on May 18, 2021 by Robert

Cassiobury House (Watford, Hertfordshire) from BoredPanda article

Toronto. Many of us come from British roots. We often think about the olden days when thinking about ‘over home’. Sadly, nothing rarely stands still. Like here and elsewhere, many old places give way to the new. Historians are constantly battling ‘progress’ to save historic buildings/ruins/structures.

Some we think deserve saving, others get a casual shrug. Les Jones sent me a link the other day that hit home. On a site called ‘BoredPanda‘ Les discovered an article by Hidreley published four months ago called, “3D Renders Of England’s Historical Country Mansions And What Replaced Them (7 Pics)“.

While not photography related (other than the 3D reference) , all the country mansions and replacements are represented here by photos.

The title of this post is a take off on the play and movie of the same name – Look Back in Anger. I must have seen the movie, or a poster for it, way back when.

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a Mitchin great camera

Posted on May 17, 2021 by Robert

Jan 1947 ad for the 16mm version of the famous Mitchell 35mm camera

Toronto. Did you ever see a movie in the days when movie scenes were captured on 35 or 16 mm film? Well the chances are a Mitchell camera was used! Mitchell Cameras took over from Bell & Howell a few years before ‘the talkies’ – they were much quieter by design.

This ad in the January 1947 issue of Popular Photography was spotted by my good friend George Dunbar while he was doing some photographic history research recently. A Michell’s 35mm camera was the camera to be used in movie film shoots in Hollywood and around the world for over half a century. The cameras were designed and made in Los Angeles.

Modern day movies are shot digitally and the files are downloaded ready for projection with no urgent time limit demanding their return whether the movie ran to a full house or not!

Time passes; things change, but the old Mitchell cameras are still valued by serious collectors and professionals. An indication of their excellent design is the wilful copying by the U.S.S.R. to capture Eastern Block films. NB the Eastern Block used a different sprocket set up than the west, affecting film choice and film projection.

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