ten – four (and even more)

Posted on July 5, 2020 by Robert

Toronto. We held our fourth COVID-19 inspired exec meeting via ZOOM. Kudos to Celio for arranging the meeting. Key changes are shown below. The big take away is deferral of our July Trunk Show into August to be safe. An extra exec meeting will be held in part to decide on the Trunk Show.

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where are the girls?

Posted on July 4, 2020 by Robert

PhotoEd + SPAO TOTE

Toronto. Rita Godlevskis of PhotoEd needs our help. She wants the vote for best Canadian Female photographer.

The winner will appear on this tote designed by PhotoEd in collaboration with SPAO in Ottawa.

Rita has the scoop for you here

PS. HAPPY JULY 4th to our American Friends!
Have a safe holiday!

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les films noir et blanc

Posted on July 3, 2020 by Robert

portrait in B&W

Toronto. When Englishman Dick Maddox announced the dry plate in 1870, he set a course for the future of photography. The invention and expansion of celluloid materials set the stage for emulsion substrates lighter than glass. Around 1886 roll film was suggested using the flexibility of celluloid. And in 1888 George Eastman announced the creation of the Kodak camera to compete with others in the roll film industry.

For the first few years, the backing material although transparent was not optically clear so camera and exposed film was shipped back to Rochester where the film was stripped from the backing and placed on flat glass tables. The negatives were set out in sunlight to contact print. These prints were returned with the camera and a fresh film roll to the owner.

Over the years, manufacturers worked diligently to increase film sensitivity (ASA/ISO rating), reduce the grain (especially when the minicam revolution took off), and expand the sensitivity band more and more into the yellows, oranges, and reds as the films moved towards panchromatic emulsions. For  a time after the minicams showed up on the market, private industry attempted to create developers that reduced the metallic silver’s  clumping tendency thereby make the developed film “fine grain”. In the 1940s, ASA 100 or 160 was considered to be very fast (Super XX for example). Kodak offered Verichrome, a film with TWO light sensitive emulsions, one slow and one “fast” to ease the dilemma of the occasional snap-shooter trying to choose a suitable film.

By the end of the days of film a speed of ASA 800 was attained and with fast lenses and slower shutter speeds it allowed indoor photographs by natural illumination. Modern day smart phones of course far exceed the highest ASA/ISO rating of yesteryear. The excellent 1975 book “Images & Enterprise” by Reese V Jenkins serves as a wonderful reference for the early roll films.

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where is it now?

Posted on July 2, 2020 by Robert

Brodie’s Color Camera

Toronto. Brodie MacPherson’s one of a kind colour camera, we mean.

Editor Bob Lansdale is busy doing an article on the late Brodie MacPherson and would like to know where his camera ended up. If you know, drop me an email at info@phsc.ca and I will pass it on.

Bob writes in part, “Born in Toronto, Ontario, on November 26, 1909, to University Professor Walter Ernest and Elsie Margaret Macpherson, Brodie was the eldest of three children and the first to attend the University of Toronto. He enrolled in the Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering in 1927 and graduated in 1931.

“He would go on to serve as a member of the Royal Canadian Air Force in the Second World War before returning home to start his photography business in early 1946.

“Macpherson’s engineering background, in conjunction with his subsequent years of experience working in the lithography business, would serve him well in the colour printing trade.”

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Happy Canada Day Y’all

Posted on July 1, 2020 by Robert

The Last Spike at Craigallachie BC ending the construction of the CPR. Photo from the Library and Archives Canada via Wikipedia

Toronto. What a great day to celebrate! On this day in 1867, our country took on a life of its own. And we owe it all to our dear friensd to the south, The American civil war of the 1860s finally woke the British politicians to a realization that they may lose ALL of their footholds in North America to the USA. On July 1st, 1867 four of the Eastern British colonies merged to form the Dominion of Canada: Ontario (Canada West), Quebec (Canada East), Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick.

The western most colony, British Columbia refused to join until it was linked to the Eastern colonies. The Canadian government decided a railroad was in order, not just a simple road to shorten the then 4 month trip by sea. Hassles and corruption broke out. Finally an American, William Van Horne took over the building of the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR). Van Horne, born in Illinois, moved to Montreal, built a mansion, lived,  and died in that city (although his body was returned to Illinois for burial).

We have always admired our bigger neighbour to the south, although we stayed loyally British until well after the second world war. Canada followed the British in both law and government. As a award to the French in Canada East, Quebec Civil Law remained under the Napoleonic Code and in later years Quebec became unilingually French. Ironically, the rest of the country is bilingual English and French.

So, happy Canada Day, y’all! Or if you happen to be in La Belle Province, “joyeux jour du Canada”!

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a hazardous accessory

Posted on June 30, 2020 by Robert

Charlie and the ubiquitous tripod meet

Toronto. We often consider the tripod as an innocuous accessory to stabilize photos and movies. The skit shown when the icon at left  is clicked shows just how risky that nefarious accessory can be.

The tripod in question was used with a movie camera and its instability gave a humorous element to the skit, but in practice, they can be a bit unruly. I once had a tripod without leg locks that slowly but surely sank as I used it. Other versions could give a nasty pinch to unwary users. Wooden versions, especially if worn a bit, could provide the casual shutter bug with a souvenir splinter and a sudden sharp pain in the hand.

Even table tripods could tip and unceremoniously dump expensive gear on the ground. Yes, tripods add stability and framing to a scene, but only if they are treated carefully  and due diligence is exercised!

Of course the modern day smartphone camera with  such high ISO settings and auto everything seldom needs a tripod for photos, but one does help when the phone requires hands free operation or is used in lieu of a map or GPS system.

A tip of my hat to good friend and fellow PHSC member George Dunbar.

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OMG OM-D

Posted on June 29, 2020 by Robert

bye bye Olympus cameras

Toronto. Olympus cameras have been around since 1936. Their big fresh egg last century was small SLR film cameras when most film SLRS were huge machines. The famous Japanese optical house founded in 1919 made many other instruments including well respected light microscopes.

I was sad to learn that Olympus has ended its camera business, selling it off to Japan Industrial Partners (JIP), the firm who bought Sony’s computer business a few years back. The deal was announced this past Wednesday and will complete this coming September. The Olympus line is the latest to fall victim to the evolution of smart phone digital cameras. With every smart phone coming equipped with a camera that will take very good photos, a standalone camera becomes unnecessary unless you are a professional taking photos beyond those suitable for smart phone cameras.

My iPod Touch has an 8MP camera with a lens equivalent to a 35mm lens on a 35mm film camera (a lens that I used about 80% of the time in my film days). Today, that little gadget is always nearby while higher resolution, zoom-lens-equipped cameras sit indoors on my shelf. Needless to say, most of my current photos are taken using the iPod Touch, Its simple air play set up sends them to my computer for saving and EXIF key wording via the Apple Photos App.

My thanks to good friend and palate extraordinaire John Morden for bringing this bit of history home via a link here to the web site Review Geek who reference Engadget in the article.

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four, square, and fake?

Posted on June 28, 2020 by Robert

Kodak Instamatic with flash cube

Toronto. With the ever challenging push for market share, Kodak slayed inept film changing with its Kodapak 126 for Instamatics and the flash bulb fumble with a four pack of mini flash bulbs in its flashcube that goes off and rotates after each shot to offer a fresh bulb along with the fresh frame of film. (Early versions used batteries but later versions (magicubes) were fired mechanically.)

The ad on pp 104-5 in the October 8th, 1965 edition of LIFE magazine demonstrated the simplicity of film changing and flashcubes IF you used the Kodak Instamatic line of cameras, but it also implies to the naive snap-shooter what a great job the little cameras can do. It was likely ads like this that spurred the Truth in Advertising movement (actually safety and unproven health claims took priority).

Professionals looking at the four images can easily see they bear no resemblance whatsoever to photos taken with the tiny camera and its fixed on-camera point source flash. Such a  technique burns the scene close to the camera with over exposure, and leaves the background too dark, with shadows crisp and harsh. Serious photographers routinely used off camera bounce flash or multi-illumination, soft boxes, etc., to give such overall lighting with soft shadows.

My sincere thanks to good friend and fellow PHSC member, George Dunbar for reminding me of this curious bit of history when film was still king and flashcubes were the newest innovation for the family photographer.

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Amalgamated Photo History Newsletters

Posted on June 27, 2020 by Robert

Toronto. Since we are unable to hold our regular monthly meetings – the pandemic dropped the curtain on us – members received this pdf version of the amalgamated newsletters from our exchange members who gave their blessing for inclusion in this venture.

I hinted this package was coming in my June 18, 2020 post, “coping with COVID“. In that post I mention, ” … 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 2mb or so pdf files. …”.

Well, the file (just over 7 MB, not 2 MB) went out this morning as promised. If you didn’t get it and 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.

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Jack be nimble

Posted on June 26, 2020 by Robert

Jack gets ready

Toronto. The Donald upset many high level politicians. He dissed friendly states and embraced enemy states. He told porkies galore. He is reviled by many in his own party. His idea of reconciliation is to blame everything on the opposition or on leaders of friendly countries.

Shown here is a photo op taken with the North Korean dictator. A videographer seems to be ready and a stills photographer is caught literally leaping into position. Our esteemed leader to the south couldn’t be puffed up more… We can accept many things from the US given its version of democracy (at least to those of us familiar with the Canadian version), but when top Republicans go on record and abandon ship (or are pushed), things begin to smell up here when a south wind blows.

Thanks again to my good friend George Dunbar for sharing this whimsical bit of history with me and the photographic fraternity in general. On a side note, like many Canadians, I too have relatives that came from the USA, lived there, or are there now. And we are always envious of the American retail business and their propensity to innovate so many things we use and take for granted.

 

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