How many cameras does it take?

Posted on June 18, 2017 by Robert

James Comey Hearing in front of the Senate committee in Washington.

Toronto. The other day George Dunbar sent me a photograph by Doug Mills of the NY Times. Mills snapped the recent hearing into the firing of James Comey, ex FBI Director by President Trump.

To mark his photo as unique, Mills used a very short wide angle lens to record the attendees at the hearing, Mr Comey, and the photographers – just click on my icon to see the answer to George’s question, “How many cameras does it take” (or one of them ;-).

We are so used to digital photography and post-photo databases, we forget just how news events are actually captured today. Photo-op indeed.

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PHSC News for June 2017

Posted on June 17, 2017 by Robert

Fuji Film Instax Mini 8 instant film camera

Toronto. The pdf newsletter was sent out Friday morning to everyone on the mailing list. Editor Sonja Pushchak has produced another entertaining newsletter of 13 pages. The front page article discussed “Fab Film Stars” – not quite the stars we usually think about. Page two is a reminder of the June Toronto meeting and its special tribute to our country’s 150th anniversary.

Following is the trunk show poster, a page on AGO’s  Georgia O’Keeffe exhibit, the Cycle Diary page by Lorne Shields, a page on how photographers calculated exposure before meters – built-in or otherwise. David Bridge follows and writes about  his experiences with manual flash synchronization. Louse Freyburger has a delightful page with hot links called WEB LINKS. We wrap up with a page on “Pix and Politics”, a book review “All Classic, All Japan”, and our popular Ask Vicky and the Classifieds page.

Click HERE to read and down load this scrumptious issue – and join us on Wednesday, June 21st to celebrate our  county’s 150th anniversary!

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A Flash of Inspiration

Posted on June 16, 2017 by Robert

Photo-Flash 1954

Toronto. My good friend David Bridge recently did a study of a little flash synchronizer intended to be used in the days when flash bulbs were common but in-camera flash sync was not.  His comments prompted me to dig out a few books on the topic, one of which is Geoffrey Gilbert’s book titled Photo-Flash on the cover and Photo-Flash in Practice  on the title page.

Originally published in November 1947 by Focal Press, my copy is the fourth edition, also published by Focal Press but in March of 1954. The book is long gone, but Focal Press is still around as part of Rutledge (itself an old company), now owned by Taylor and Francis famous for the magazine “History of Photography”.

I remember the frustration of being unable to take a photograph in light dimmer than afternoon sun outdoors. My first year in high school I was given a new Brownie Hawk-eye box camera which used Kodak 620 film and had a flash gun attachment and built-in synchronization. Continue reading →

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Fred Spira and Photographic History

Posted on June 15, 2017 by Robert

Daguerreotype from Fred Spira collection.

Toronto. The late Fred Spira of New York City made his fortune and fame creating and selling inexpensive photographic lenses and accessories as well as importing many Japanese products from the late 1940s, all sold under the Spiratone brand.

He was also a collector of photographica and worked diligently on a book combining his collection and the history of photography. Declining health prevented him from completing the book, but his son Jonathan, along with noted author Eaton S Lothrop Jr managed the task.

In 2001, Aperture published it as a 232 page coffee table size hard cover book with many beautiful colour images titled “The History of Photography as Seen Through the Spira Collection.”  Originally selling for about $75 CDN, today a used copy can be found at about half that price. I have a new copy complete with a dust cover. The above link to Amazon.ca shows the book as 192 pages which is incorrect.

Both cameras and photographs are covered in this delightful, easy to read book. The photographing and staging of cameras and accessories is done with care and precision. Ending some 17 years ago, the digital camera section at the end seems a bit quaint today with the rapid improvement in technology. As each subject is covered very briefly, the book gives a broad overview of the history of photography and as such complements rather than replaces the many other books on the topic.

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Family Focus at the Archives of Toronto

Posted on June 14, 2017 by Robert

Family Focus Invitation

Toronto. David Tyler of the Archives of Ontario invites the PHSC members to join him on the inaugural day of the new exhibit of family portraits.

David writes, “The Archives of Ontario invites you to attend the reception and opening of our newest exhibition: “Family Focus: Early Portrait Photography at the Archives of Ontario”  at the John B. Aird Gallery in Toronto on Wednesday June 28, 2017 from 4 to 6 p.m.

“Please see the attached [click below] for your invitation to the opening reception. We hope you will join us for the launch of “Family Focus!”

“Click here to RSVP

“Please RSVP by June 23, 2017”

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Some Thoughts on Optical Institutions

Posted on June 13, 2017 by Robert

Carl Zeiss Workshop outdoors in the 1850s. From Zeiss and Photography by L J Gubas

Toronto.An optical institution was a German optical workshop turning out various optical devices and lenses. Other countries used other names.

As cameras and binoculars and microscopes became popular,  brands like Zeiss, Zeiss-Ikon, Leitz, Ross, Bausch & Lomb, Rochester Optical, Kodak, Krause, Polaroid, Nikon, Canon, etc. became known world wide.

Before photography arrived (1839), the institutions made such things as eye glasses, opera glasses, binoculars, microscopes and telescopes.  The raw glasses of the day were basic varieties and tended to vary in optical characteristics depending on how well the molten mass was mixed. Some batches were contaminated as material in the crucible leached into the molten glass. And some glasses were less clear than others – no big deal when used in thin windows or tiny lenses. Continue reading →

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CAMERA – A History of Photography from Daguerreotype to Digital

Posted on June 12, 2017 by Robert

Camera – Todd Gustavson 2009 book published by Sterling Innovation NYC London

Toronto. At our May 1999 meeting we had the pleasure of hearing Todd Gustavson talk about the Cameras of George Eastman House (GEH). A decade later in 2009, Todd published a book titled “CAMERA – A History of Photography from Daguerreotype to Digital” when he was the Technology Curator at GEH.

This book covers the history of photography from its beginnings in 1839 to 2009 with an American perspective. The book is profusely illustrated with examples of cameras and prints from the vast GEH collection. The cameras are to a large extent American manufacture and in later times often of Kodak manufacture.

Many of the cameras featured I saw at the PHSC meetings and fairs over the past decades. Some I was tempted to buy, others to handle and look over in awe.

The book wraps up with the Kodak EasyShare One camera – the first camera to offer wifi and image uploading with a 3x optical zoom lens and 4 MPX sensor. While smart phones of the day could upload images, their built-in cameras used plastic lenses, lower pixel counts, and tiny sensors. The last essay, titled The Future of Image Capture by Alex Gerard is especially timely. The key to the essay is the concept that future digital cameras will more closely match the human eye in terms of resolution and sensitivity.

 

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Review of Book on 19th Century French Lenses

Posted on June 11, 2017 by Robert

c1843 lens by Chevalier courtesy of Camera by Todd Gustavson, published in 2009

Toronto. I did this review for Bob Lansdale back on August 3rd, 2013. At the time, the author had sent the book to Bob for review and write up in the journal Photographic Canadiana. This the review I wrote at the time.

Berthiot Chevalier Darlot Derogy
Hermagis Jamin Lerebours Soleil
Photographic Lenses
of the 1800’s in France

Corrado D’Agostini (author)
Caroline Elo (translator)
Copyright 2011 by the author
Published by Bandecchi & Vivaldi, Italy

This 371 page coffee table size book is published on high quality coated paper. The full colour pictures of French lenses (including many very rare examples) from the first century of photography are worth the price of the book. Copies are available from the author for 80 Euros plus shipping, or via Amazon.com for $149 US [$159 USD used in 2017 plus shipping. Also available from Camerabooks on the West Coast of the USA for $139 USD plus shipping.] Continue reading →

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Stefano Cerio, Italian Photographer

Posted on June 10, 2017 by Robert

Chinese Fun – Little China, Shenzen – by Stefano Cerio

Toronto.  The Parisian Gallery GADCOLLECTION sent me notice that it currently has an exhibition titled Amusement Places featuring photographs by Italian photographer Stefano Cerio. The exhibition runs from 8 to 29 June 2017.

“Stefano Cerio lives and works in Rome and Paris.
He began his career as a photographer at the age of 18, contributing to the Italian weekly L’Espresso.

“Since 2001, his interest has gradually moved towards explorative photography and video. His work increasingly focuses on the theme of representation, exploring the boundary line between vision, recounting the real and the spectator’s horizon of expectation, the staging of a possible reality that might not be true but is at least plausible.

“In this sense, projects such as Sintetico Italiano (Italian Synthetic), Souvenir, Aquapark, Night Ski, Chinese Fun are stages in a coherent artistic development which finds in the concept of memory, in the “other” place as a catalyst for present desires and future memories, in the idea of holiday and entertainment, that suspension of daily life which the author studies and recounts in images. His works are to be found in many public and private collections.”

Take a look on the gallery site and if you are in Paris, be sure to drop by – you may even add to your photo collection.

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Book on 19th Century German Lenses

Posted on June 9, 2017 by Robert

A German Lens design in the 19th Century

Toronto. Journal editor Bob Lansdale loaned me the second book in Corrado D’Agostini’s series on 19th Century Photographic Lenses. Both are sold in the US by Camerabooks.com. This book is posted as costing $109 USD plus shipping.

The first book in 19th Century Lenses ($139 USD) looked at the French contribution while this beautiful book records the phenomenal contribution of German and Austrian industry to 19th century Photographic Lenses.

Written in Italian and published in Italy in late 2016, this edition has been translated into English by George Tatge. Once I finished reading the large 319 pages plus book, I will write and publish a review. This book is truly a delight!

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