PHSC News 19-09 for March 2020

Posted on March 14, 2020 by Robert

Blackmagic Production Camera 4K Video

Toronto. Our thought provoking editor Sonja Pushchak and team have whipped up another tasty dish of PHSC News in their latest iteration of our newsletter.

Page 1 offers “The Power of any Illusion”; page 2 covers the ever popular Lorne Shields and his coming talk at our Toronto meeting (NOW DEFERRED TO LATER); and in “What Becomes Visible” we are favoured with a brief bio of the tragic NYC photographer, Diane Arbus.

An auction poster (NOW DEFERRED TO LATER) covers page 4, while the Toronto file on page 5 talks of the risk of subway riding in the big smoke (who would think such excitement could be found for under $4). David Bridge talks zooms in his Equipment Review. This is followed by Photo Book 101 and its discussion of our Surveillance Culture. David pops in again helping partner Louise Freyburger with a trio of interesting web links. As a wrap, PHSC Events and the Classifieds are book ends for “Vi and Dot” who address models rather than their artists and photographers.

Click here for the current issue or check out this and past issues under NEWSLETTER on the menu bar.

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gotta Can(n)on?

Posted on March 13, 2020 by Robert

Thanks to Kissclipart for this image

Toronto. At the rate of closures, we should be able to shoot a cannon down the streets without harm to life or limb…

Both our auction and our March Toronto meeting have fallen victim to COVID-19. Stay posted for any further notifications  of COVID-19 (or Union) actions affecting the PHSC activities.

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Dr Mike goes to Washington

Posted on March 13, 2020 by Robert

Dr Robinson at the Smithsonian

Toronto. My friend George Dunbar sent me a note the other day saying one of our past presidents, Dr Mike Robinson, was visiting the Smithsonian to demonstrate modern day daguerreotype portraits. Mike makes such collectible images here in his Century Darkroom in the east end of the city.

George writes, “Here’s a video of PHSC member, Mike Robinson, demonstrating the making of a Daguerreotype (in the video at the 4.25 minute mark)”.

The Smithsonian is shown up here on cable/fibe TV. This particular link to the Smithsonian Learning Lab discusses the early days of photography (Inventing Early Photography). If you would prefer to see the video without the Smithsonian’s suggestions to join/tour the Learning Lab, use this YouTube link.

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March CAMERAMA Cancelled

Posted on March 12, 2020 by Robert

March CAMERAMA Cancelled

Toronto.  Back on  this past Monday, March 9th, I announced Gary’s latest CAMERAMA show. Sadly Gary was forced to cancel the show today when his venue, the Edward Hotel decided to go proactive and cancel all events for now.

Gary writes, “I have had to cancel my upcoming Camerama Show. The hotel called today to say they have cancelled all events. I don’t have time to find another location. Also, with all the virus concerns its just as well to wait it out for a few months”.

We wish Gary the best. At the moment both our auction and Toronto meeting for March are going ahead. I will advise if there is a change.

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the big picture

Posted on March 12, 2020 by Robert

Faith of the Irish – panorama in 1920s Toronto at St Pat’s

Toronto. As executives, we were often told to consider “the big picture”. Well, in the first half of the last century, that was more than buzzwords! In the day, panorama photos were popular as a means to take groups – schools, organizations, military, religious, etc.

Cameras like the Cirkut used mechanical gears and clockwork motors to turn the camera one way and film the opposite for 180 degrees or more. The prints made by a Cirkut camera negative had a tell-tale curve as the camera and film rotated to scan a flat plane. Fleet-footed wags could appear twice by running from one end of the group to the other.

Other cameras with negatives that had one dimension much greater than the other also made what were called panorama photos. The photo here is the “faith of the Irish” – the congregation outside St Patrick’s in 1920s Toronto. Courtesy of Toronto Past Archive. My thanks to George Dunbar for finding this gem.

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NYC? not this April …

Posted on March 11, 2020 by Robert

NY Photography Fair this April CANCELLED

Toronto. I just received word today that the NY Photography Fair, which I announced in a post on February 22nd, has been cancelled in anticipation of the New Corona Virus pandemic hitting the States in the coming weeks.

We wish our neighbours all the best as the world girds itself for the coming pandemic. Decades ago I read about the 1918 influenza pandemic, and I can recall in  the late 1940s and the 1950s being excluded from visiting the CNE in those pre vaccination days for polio. The paralyzing disease was especially strong in the summer months.

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Portrait of a Period

Posted on March 11, 2020 by Robert

Toronto. Those of us who lust after Notman photos will welcome this book of the studio’s selected images from 1856-1915. Details for many Notman photographs reside in the McCord museum on Sherbrooke Street in Montreal, across from McGill University.

The Scotsman, William Notman, opened his studio in Montreal on Bleury Street and later expanded to other locales in Eastern North America.  He is known for his group photos of the period when cameras and their media suffered from slow speeds. He overcame this limitation by planning out each event, then photographing key people in his studio in action and at the correct proportion. Carefully cutting and pasting the staged action shots, he re-photographed his work and published it for all to buy and see.

When I first worked in downtown Montreal, I picked up a remaindered copy of this book, later trading it for a Leica lens. Come down to our auction on Sunday the 15th of March to see this book and other goodies go under the hammer of our auctioneer. Lewko (Cint) Hryhorijiw is the PHSC President, an Image Collector, and a Professional Photographer well versed in the value of photographica.  Good food, good friends, free admission, free parking – what better way to enjoy a Sunday in Toronto?

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a Kodak moment …

Posted on March 10, 2020 by Robert

A Kodak digital back and sensor for a Nikon N90s

Toronto. In the 1990s and early 2000s, Kodak produced a series of professional digital cameras in its Digital Camera System (DCS) using  a Kodak sensor and electronics plus a Nikon  or Canon film camera. My friend John Linsky called me the other day (which resulted in this post). He had a weird Nikon with a Kodak badged thing hanging below the camera. The Nikon was an N90s on top of a Kodak DCS 400.

The camera was very expensive in the 1990s and was intended for professional photographers working for  major newspapers or newswires. The paltry resolution of the Kodak sensor was offset by the speedy transmission to the newspaper or wire service without need for film processing. Back then, newspapers were mainly black and white documents. They used the halftone process of the day which made the 1.5 or so megapixel images more than adequate.

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Gary’s at it again – March Camerama

Posted on March 9, 2020 by Robert

CAMERAMA March 29, 2020 (click to read or print)

Toronto, Every spring we see a cluster of opportunities to add to our collections.

Come on out on the 29th to visit CAMERAMA and see old friends.
Tables of digital and film gear for all whether you collect or use the cameras, lenses, etc..

The show is at the usual location – the Edward Hotel up in North York at 185 Yorkland Blvd (just NE of 404/401) off Sheppard East. Check the poster by clicking the icon at left. If you still have questions, just give Gary an email at gary@cameramashow.com.

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I use a Nikon …

Posted on March 8, 2020 by Robert

Nikon FG at our March 15, 2020 auction

Toronto. Many of our members are professional photographers – both active and retired folk. I remember (kinda) one member’s business card. It showed a WW2 bomber in a side view of the front gunnery. It read, “Some use a Canon  – I use a Nikon”.

Regardless, we all should have at least one Nikon in our collection. Nikon made the model FG in the early 1980s. It will be in one of our March 15th auction lots.

If you need one or something else to add to your collection, or to let you dabble in film technology, come on down and join the other folk. What better way to spend a Sunday? Free admission, free parking, easy access. Good friends. Legion Hall 101 in Long Branch.

See you there!

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