on being John Malkovich

Posted on February 27, 2021 by Robert

Sandro does Karsh using Malkovich as Churchill

Toronto. We can all recall famous photographs by famous photographers. A Chicago photographer (Ukrainian roots) who goes by the name Sandro, took memory a giant step forward – he photographed recreations of these famous photos with a huge twist – he used John Malkovich as the subject in each photo! He calls his portfolio an homage to photographic masters.

Take a look at his collaboration with Malkovich in homage. Brings back memories, doesn’t it?

This link was discovered and shared by my good friend and fellow PHSC member, George Dunbar, who as I have noted many times, is busy researching photgraphic history via the amazing internet. The internet brings meaning to the comic I enjoyed as a kid, “Born 30 years too soon“.

The post title is actually the title of a 1999 movie comedy featuring John Malkovich.

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in the tropics

Posted on February 26, 2021 by Robert

King’s Own Tropical Camera

Toronto. In the late 1950s, we had a trio of Allis-Chalmers power generators (my Exakta photo c1958) at our location in Labrador. They were connected to  the power panel and tested by a technician from A-C. In the evenings he talked about photography and his assignment in the tropics. His camera was an Exakta with a Zeiss 58mm Biotar lens. The front element was badly scratched making it essential to keep strong light (like sunlight) behind the camera. He explained that the tropics were so humid that moisture condensed on camera and lens forcing him to constantly clean the soft front element of the lens, hence the scratches.

Decades later, our Vice-President, John K. discovered a wooden tropical camera called “King’s Own Tropical Camera”. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, cameras were made of polished wood rather than wood and leather since the wood was better able to resist the rot and mildew of the tropics.

John relates, “One day I was online and spotted a rarity I had been hunting for since my childhood – the elusive and very rare King’s Own Tropical camera made by the London Stereographic Co. As I tried to contact them, the virtual shop it was in disappeared and the only information I had was the city in South Africa where the shop was located and a photograph of the front of the antique shop with the name on the glass.

“I am so grateful that we live in an age where virtually everything is at your fingertips and by the next morning I had found the shop’s address and phone number. After talking to the lady who owned the shop, I found out the South African Post Office had gone on strike and they could not ship anything out, so they shut down their on- line store to wait out the strike (something I could sympathize with).”

As a member, you can read the rest of John’s article in 46-3 pdf version or the Vol 46 Annual pages 64, 65. Not a Member? Easy-peasy, just break out your plastic (VISA, MasterCard, etc.), follow the rules at the upper right of this page and sign up via PayPal (no PayPal account needed – we will pay the modest fee). Membership is an incredible bargain. Period! Then send me an email at info@phsc.ca and I will send along 46-3 in pdf format.

 

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mia

Posted on February 25, 2021 by Robert

from hard copy edition of Vol 46 – Look What You are Missing

Toronto. For a handful of our members, their email addresses are mia – missing in action. Over the past months, Editor Bob Lansdale has stepped up to the COVID-19 situation and promoted extra issues and supplements be made as pdf files to be sent only to members. I added a tag on our distribution service (MailChimp) after much prodding to ensure this members-only guideline could be followed.

Realizing many members without emails on file would see nothing from the society and to paraphrase the US Military slogan as “Leave No One Behind”, Bob campaigned to send a hard copy of all five issues of volume 46 (a custom mix of full colour and black and white pages re-done by Bob personally) to all members without an email. On investigation, this came down to a mere handful so a decision was made to also offer the hard copy to those with email addresses and the caveat to send a copy only if requested, helping limit the cost and number of copies to be mailed.

Our press agent (Aries) was willing to package and deliver this annual, while our membership secretary offered to mail all issues. Sadly, we are still missing a few emails for some members. If you happen to be one (i.e. you saw nothing from MailChimp about the pdf copies of the journal or supplements) then email me at info@phsc.ca and I will see that your address goes to both MailChimp and our Membership Secretary (and is correctly tagged).

Not a member? Easy-peasy, just break out your plastic (VISA, MasterCard, etc.), follow the rules at the upper right of this page and sign up via PayPal (no PayPal account needed – we will pay the modest fee). Membership is an incredible bargain. Period!

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another way to skin a cat

Posted on February 24, 2021 by Robert

Ad for Yashica Electro 35GT camera

Toronto. It’s the 1970s and your camera doesn’t have a socket for the ubiquitous magicubes. Nor can it use Kodak’s super simple Instamatic film cartridges. What do you do? Well Yashica advertised that their cameras let you take indoor photos without flash! Mind you, even then a tripod was necessary given the slow speed of colour film.

Today’s smartphone users for the most part are blissfully unaware that auto exposure and auto flash along with fast sensors simply eliminate any need for tripods or external flash – just a youthful steady hand for good indoor shots.

In the above ad from page 20 of the May 14, 1971 issue of LIFE magazine, Yashica touted their Electro 35GT 35mm film camera with its fast lens (f/1.7) and automatic CdS light intensity sensor, and computer controlled shutter.  The line featured aperture priority – for a given light intensity, adjust the aperture for depth of field and the shutter automatically speeds up or slows down. And the lens far exceeds the capabilities of the less expensive box cameras packaged to look like fancy 35mm cameras at a fraction of the price.

If you spot the catch-light in the baby’s eyes, you can see soft illumination was perhaps from a close by window and daylight. Even then, a tripod may have been needed and not just a photo prop for this ad.

Thanks  again to friend and fellow PHSC member, George Dunbar, for showing us this delightful piece of photographic history!

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taking a bigger slice of the pie

Posted on February 23, 2021 by Robert

Kodak ad in the May 7, 1971 LIFE magazine

Toronto. Post war, every company in the photographic  industry worked hard to gain a bigger market share. Kodak, as shown by this LIFE ad from the May 7, 1971 issue (p 65), grouped all the hot button ideas into one bundle and then touted a special deal.

You can see the ‘all thumbs’ amateur gets top billing: Save money? Check. Colour film? Check. Instamatic film cartridge? Check. New camera to use new technologies in a ‘for dummies’ environment? Check. Battery-less flash cubes? Check. Carrying case? Check. Album? Check. Big package to take up shelf space? Check.

An amazing number of consumer issues and wishes covered, all in one ad – even a new catch phrase! An eye-grabbing way to introduce a new camera – Instamatic X-15.

My thanks to good friend and fellow photo historian for sharing his finds with us! Well done George.

 

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hey! Big Shot!

Posted on February 22, 2021 by Robert

A Polaroid ‘Big Shot’ ad in LIFE magazine

Toronto. The term  “Big Shot” meant someone of importance in business or politics. However, when I was young we used it as a derogatory term for someone who was puffed up by his self perceived importance.

In this April 30, 1971 LIFE ad (a two page spread just before page 46), Polaroid named a specialty camera ‘Big Shot‘. The camera was inexpensive (under $20 US) and designed for one thing – portraits (and to sell Polaroid film, of course). Simple to use and easy to get decent prints, the camera had a fixed focus and a rangefinder. Step up to your subject then step back until the two images merge and you are in focus (the Big Shot shuffle)! An always on flash (uses battery-less Magic Cubes) had a large translucent panel to soften the lighting and complement any subject.

Thanks are due to George Dunar for sharing this bit of trivia which he found while investigating photographic history as recorded by magazine advertisements some 50 years ago, before digital photography and smart phones became the norm they are today.

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a land far, far, away …

Posted on February 21, 2021 by Robert

Hello, Mars, this is the rover Perseverance. Courtesy of NASA

Toronto. Star Wars, anyone? It was exciting news last Thursday when the rover Perseverance landed on Mars as planned. Both my wife and I watched the event on television that afternoon.

One of the first things the rover did was send back to earth a low resolution (saves bandwidth – high resolution photos will come later) photograph. The robot first sent a twitter to say it landed safely followed by a photograph. It takes eleven minutes through a vacuum at the speed of light to send a message home and as much time to send back to Mars. An epic event and well done by the NASA team.

Personally, I was thrilled to see photography playing a small part in the event. In 1969, we watched when Neil Armstrong first walked on the Moon and took film photographs – another astonishing milestone. Anyone could later order a copy to be sent by regular mail. Before that event, we could only learn the amount of thrust needed to break from the pull of earth’s gravity.

Today, digital photography and smartphones make for nearly instantaneous snapping and viewing world wide. But eleven minutes? From Mars? WOW?

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Amalgamated Newsletters 2-2

Posted on February 20, 2021 by Robert

Supplement 2-2 (Feb 2021)

Toronto. Some month so far as we saw storms blowing outside this week. Editor Bob Lansdale has put together the latest amalgamation of newsletters in his supplement – Vol 2-2. All members with a an email address on file at the PHSC received this pdf version Friday. It is an amalgamation of selected newsletters from our exchange members who gave their blessing for inclusion in this venture.

The cover quote says, “Welcome to more newsletter readings to offset the decline of our photo Society activities from the Covid pandemic.

“Timothy Campbell sends us a compilation of the journal of the Photographic Collectors Club of Great Britain and their Tailboard newsletter. Their publications are full of hardware stories and I envy their constant source.

“We also bring you the latest issue of Snap Shots from the Photographic Historical Society of New England Inc.”

I noted last year that these packages were coming for members, ” … we elected to compile other material in pdf files ready to send to members IF they supplied an email address AND had a fast enough internet connection to receive the 2 – 10 mb or so pdf files. …”.

Well, the Volume 2-2 went out, and if you didn’t get it but you do get our newsletters, drop me a note (news@phsc.ca). I will verify you are a 2020/2021 member and send off a copy. If you are a current member and didn’t see a copy, please check your junk folder. This and all other specials will only be sent to paid members. Not one yet? No big deal – pull your plastic and use the PayPal set up at the top right of this web page. Note: We will continue to send our excellent newsletter ‘PHSC News‘ to all who are on our MailChimp list – PHSC member or not.

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enough already!

Posted on February 19, 2021 by Robert

a surprise in contest entries

Toronto. Do you remember the days of photograph contests? Pictures were snapped on film, prints carefully made, and the hopeful shutter-bug mailed his/her pride and joy(s) to an address for assessment by a professional photographer – or a committee of them.  I think most photo contests at the time attracted enough entries. to satisfy the judge(s).

In the very late 1960s, I entered one such contest and won twice – first for a portrait and third for animals. The prize money bought me a new exposure meter back when CdS cells were the big event allowing exposure meters to be made that could read very dim light settings for those with a tripod.

However; in 1971 when LIFE magazine ran its latest contest, it was overwhelmed with entries and had to announce on page 3 of the April 16, 1971 issue that entries (over 100,000) were at least triple the estimate and this would result in the delayed announcement of winners, but they would still be published in 1971 (and the winners were published in a ‘double’ issue on the very last day of 1971).

My thanks to good friend and associate for spotting this item while researching magazine articles and advertisements for items of historical interest.

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the power of networks

Posted on February 18, 2021 by Robert

Canadian Camera Company ad

Toronto. To be a successful editor, one needs many talents – originality, devotion to subject, willingness to share, open to ideas from others, good English, and networks. Fortunately, our own editor, Bob Lansdale has all these talents including a world-wide network of like minded souls willing to assist Bob on all difficult issues.

On February 6th, Edmonton member Brian Hudson had questions on the company that built/sold his Glencoe camera and asked us for help. Bob Lansdale did a vigorous search but lacked access to Montreal street guides so he threw out a wide call across his network via the internet.

The result was an astonishing amount of information. Member Dr Irwin Reichstein up in Ottawa provided a detailed look at the company when first incorporated in Montreal, then relocated to Toronto and later filed for bankruptcy. Others noted they had such cameras in their collections. David Mattison in BC sent along a link to a site called antiquephotographica.info which included this bit on US Patent 684221.

This added information on the Canadian Camera Company resulted from Bob’s use of his network – enough for an article in our journal, hopefully. (Who knew that the June 1899 “Rod and Gun in Canada” had an Amateur Photography section [pp146, 7] and especially that the magazine devoted a few paragraphs to the move of the Canadian Camera Company to Toronto? Fortunately Dr Reichstein discovered this and shared it. Well done, Irwin!)

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