pictures on the spot

Posted on April 27, 2019 by Robert

Polaroid Ad Nov 1955

Toronto. In the last half of the last century, photography had a number of goals for improvement for amateurs. Three come to mind: Faster media, so pictures could be taken indoors or at night; colour at lower cost; and faster delivery.

Most of the industry chose the first or second approach. Everybody touted flash and flash bulbs for indoor and night shots; many promoted colour (especially slides and the requisite projector and screen); but Polaroid was different: they chose faster delivery. So fast in fact that they called their new system “picture in a minute”.

The Polaroid ad on page 67 in the November 21st 1955 issue of LIFE magazine showed how a typical American family could jazz up Thanksgiving (the holiday is a month later than here in a nod to a warmer climate) with photographs – and not just photographs but Polaroid “picture in a minute” photographs. Kids turned away? Take another photo! Grandpa snoozing? Take another photo! The much higher cost (vs. traditional film and prints) was never mentioned. Or the fact that you could only use Polaroid cameras (well made for sure) and Polaroid film packs with built in chemistry and photo paper. You may like to check out this site for how Polaroid film works.

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Wild Exposures – Tracey Dyer

Posted on April 26, 2019 by Robert

Owl by Tracey Dyer

Toronto. Toronto wild life photographer Tracey Dyer has her latest exhibition at Studio 888 out in the east end at 2359 Queen St East, Toronto. The exhibition runs from April 25th through Mother’s Day, May 12th. Featured are iconic photographs of wildlife in environments as diverse as the Boreal Forests to the African Savannah.

Head east and take a look at these wonderful photos of nature in all its diversity. You can meet Tracey this Saturday (April 27) when there will be a reception from 1 to 4 pm.

Thanks to my morning read – the Globe and Mail – who posted this advertisement on page A2 of Wednesday’s newspaper.

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when is a Bolsey not a Bolsey?

Posted on April 25, 2019 by Robert

Bosley Jubilee ad in late 1955 LIFE magazine

Toronto. When it is an Alpa or Bolex, of course! Jaques Bogopolsky was the camera designer for Paillard, a Swiss company  after they bought out his company, BOL SA.

Jaques was born in the Ukraine and went by various names including Bolsky and Bosley. Being Jewish and fearing the Nazi regime, Jacques emigrated to the USA in 1939 and began designing cameras for the American military forces.

After the war, he designed a series of consumer cameras under the Bosley name. His American cameras were made by another New York firm, Obex Corporation of Long Island. After the end of May, 1956, Obex also briefly became the distributors for Bosley cameras.

The above Jubilee model is from a LIFE magazine ad (p 64) in the November 28, 1955 issue. It came with a Steinheil lens, from the old optical house in Munich (Munchen), Germany. The marketeers for Bosley emphasized the Set-O-Matic feature for setting exposure and coupling to the aperture, implying that exposure was the challenge to making great photographs…

 

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a head for news

Posted on April 24, 2019 by Robert

Who’s a camera?

Toronto. In the 1950s TV was rapidly taking hold as a source for daily news (not the mess of so called “entertainment” we see today amongst the plethora of commercials). Newsreels of the day were shot on film in clips, edited and spliced before being broadcast. And as usual, demanded a tripod for stability so viewers didn’t feel sea-sick.

The November 14 issue of LIFE magazine near the end of 1955, posted this photograph of Bill Horton of Oklahoma City station KWTV in city council with his improvised replacement for the heavy tripod usually used in TV newsreels. Bill’s photograph appears in the Miscellany column of LIFE  magazine (page 204). A thanks to Goldie for catching this bit of history!

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shine a light on me

Posted on April 23, 2019 by Robert

Viewlex Projector c 1955.

Toronto. Projectors predate both photography and electricity. Called magic lanterns, they were often used by both magicians and charlatans. There are even people today who collect magic lanterns and slides (the Magic Lantern Society was formed about the same time as the PHSC). Magic lanterns and drawn coloured slides were made as toys as well. They were used to entertain and enlighten both adults and children before movies, television, and computers became so common.

After photography arrived in 1839, the devices became popular in churches to project biblical scenes illustrating guest talks and the words of hymns allowing the congregation  (those who were literate) to follow along. Continue reading →

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London Spring Show

Posted on April 22, 2019 by Robert

London Show by Spike Bell, M.Photog.CPP MPA

Toronto. Spike Bell of Tecumseh, Ontario (Windsor)  sent us a series of photographs he took recently (April 14th) at the very successful show over in London, Ontario arranged by Ron and Maureen Tucker (who also attend our shows).

Spike wrote, “A great camera show with a good attendance, put on by Ron and Maureen Tucker, good attendance including myself…very well done and congratulation to the Tuckers.

“Best wishes and on to their next show. The photos enclosed are mine and you are free to use with a credit line please.”

Spike’s enthusiasm was repeated by our own president Clint Hryhorijiw who was also in attendance at the London show.

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photography & immigration

Posted on April 21, 2019 by Robert

©Vincenzo Pietropaolo.
Two sisters meeting for the first time after 25 years, at Toronto International Airport. from the book “Not Paved with Giold” (BTL, 2006).

Toronto. Vincenzo Petropaolo, author, photographer, PHSC member and PHSC speaker has been invited by the North Toronto Historical Society and the Northern District Library to give the above presentation beginning at 7:30 pm this coming April 24th, at the TPL in room 224, 40 Orchard View Boulevard, Toronto, ON  M4R 1B9.

Refreshments will be available at 7:15 pm. The subject is of interest to  both the photographic fraternity and historians. Vince reminds us that we in Toronto host one of the largest Italian communities in the world.

I have two mementos (a century old gingerbread clock and a CNR brakeman’s lantern) given to me by an old neighbour, Mrs Tony Caruso, after her husband died and she returned to Italy to be with her daughter Grace and her family in Milan. Her husband, who was always Mr Tony to me, joined the local utility after retiring from the railway. Each summer he and his wife sold garden fresh vegetables to cottagers and tourists alike at a nearby beach. In fact, I grew up in a house built on land my father bought from Mr Tony.

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Notre-Dame de Paris

Posted on April 20, 2019 by Robert

Notre-Dame de Paris c1880

Toronto. We were all shocked to hear and see the terrible fire that severely damaged this world renown church over the past week.

PHSC member Harold Staats sent me an 1880s photograph of the famous cathedral (seen above left).

Harold writes, “I recently purchased a few old photos of Notre Dame Cathedral at the last photographic fair. It’s one of the [most] famous and photographed images of France. I thought it might be appropriate if you are doing a story on this catastrophe to use this as one of the images from the 1880s in the next issue of the newsletter.”

I passed the photograph on to our newsletter editor Sonja Pushchak for consideration. As an aside, I was once told that the Mary, Queen of the World cathedral in Montreal was a quarter size copy of the famous Paris cathedral (apparently it is a copy, but of St Peter’s in Rome). While not Catholic, I personally attended the Montreal cathedral once decades ago before I began university studies in Montreal (back when René Lévesque Boulevard was called Dorchester Boulevard).

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stereo, stereo, everywhere

Posted on April 19, 2019 by Robert

Graphic Stereo Camera

Toronto. In the mid 1950s stereo was popular again. Graphic, to find a niche, set its marketeers loose. The high end camera spot was taken by the pricy Realist so the marketing folk at Graphic aimed at the low end with a twist. While the camera was basically a dual lens box camera with fixed focus and a simple time and instantaneous setting shutter, the camera was touted as  having Depthmaster auto-focus  and easy use with only one dial to set. It was advertised as an easy to use quality camera for a low price of $66.50 – $13 more to add a case and flash gun!

The fixed focus lenses were f/4 wide open and could be set for the outdoor daylight –  cloudy, hazy, bright, brilliant, and special (f/16). The aperture plus shutter instantaneous setting of about 1/50 were intended for the colour film of the day. The camera was advertised in LIFE magazine (issue Nov 7, 1956 p.124) and Popular Photography (Nov 1956 p.11).

Lots of stereo cameras to choose in the 1950s. 3 or 4 decades later a PHSC member loaned me a Kodak Brownie stereo camera to try out (I also had a Stereoly attachment for a screw-mount Leica at the time).

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the power of marketing (Argus C-four)

Posted on April 18, 2019 by Robert

Argus C-four camera 1955
ad courtesy of LIFE

Toronto. In the 1950s Argus attempted to introduce a camera model to join its famous brick (C-3). The C-four was touted as being as good as most (German) cameras, even those of much higher cost. The C-four was made throughout the 1950s but wasn’t as popular as the C-3. The C-four for the most part used a single lens. The odd version allowed interchangeable Argus lenses. Once SLR cameras became the standard and especially when the Japanese cameras launched in the USA, the Argus brand rapidly disappeared.

This is an ad for the C-four courtesy of LIFE magazine on page 129 of its October 15, 1955 issue. The full ad shows a huge flash gun sitting on top of the camera in a hot shoe – another push for the amateur flash guns and bulbs of the day. The gun was an accessory and could not be mounted when the camera case was in use.

Thanks to George Dunbar for unearthing this bit of nostalgia.

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