Online Leica and Hasselblad Auction

208258_1_lToronto. Waddington’s, an auction house here in Toronto are trying their hand at an online auction of popular and well respected camera brands.

The auction will be held November 7 – 10, 2016. Visit Waddington’s web site to see the lots and garner more information. For your convenience there is a pdf catalogue here on this site

Posted in activities-other, auction | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Online Leica and Hasselblad Auction

WestLicht Photographica Auction – 18, 19 Nov 2016

Lot 216 - Colour Photograph by McCurry

Lot 216 – Colour Photograph of a sand  storm in India by Steve McCurry

Toronto. Our friends at WestLicht Auction in Austria have announced their next Photographic Auction on the 18th and 19th of this month. Click here for the press images and here for press text.This will be featured as one of their Anniversary auctions as they are celebrating their  25th (Leica Shop) and 15th (Auction House) anniversaries.

You can look at the lots here to order a printed catalogue or view the online version.

As you can see, this auction covers many rare old cameras plus a wealth of photographs by well known photographers.

Posted in activities-other, auction | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on WestLicht Photographica Auction – 18, 19 Nov 2016

Girls in the Windows – 1960 – Ormond Gigli

Girls in the Windows 1960 by Ormond Gigli

Girls in the Windows 1960 by Ormond Gigli

Toronto. Planning to be in Paris today? Visit Galerie GadCollection and see the wonderful photographs of American Photographer Ormond Gigli.

For example, featured in various media is his 1960 signature photograph taken in New York City of models standing in the windows of a Brownstone called “Girls in the Windows”.

Other famous photographs by Gigli are also being sold. I left the web site link for the Galerie set to French (FR) as there is more content than in English (EN).

Of course if you skipped French lessons at school, you can see and read the English version by going to Gigli’s web site and the menu item Biography.

Posted in photos | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Girls in the Windows – 1960 – Ormond Gigli

My Toronto – Photo Laureate Geoffrey James

Geoffrey James by Fred Lum of the Globe

Geoffrey James by Fred Lum of the Globe & Mail

NEXT TORONTO MEETING: Wed, November 16, 2016
Geoffrey James: My Toronto

Our speaker is well known photographer Geoffrey James. Born in Wales, Mr James became the first Photo-laureate of Toronto. The position began on March 31, 2016 and continues for three years. Mr James is a self taught photographer and an alumni of Oxford in the UK.

Tonight his topic is My Toronto – a fitting topic for our very first Photo Laureate! In addition to photography, Mr James is a prolific author with many books to his credit including one called Toronto, published in 2007.

Since moving to Canada he has lived in Montreal, Ottawa, and Toronto.

The public is welcome. Go to our Programs page for times and directions.

Posted in people, program | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on My Toronto – Photo Laureate Geoffrey James

Wedding Photography can be Hazardous

Wedding Photography can be Hazardous...

Wedding Photography can be Hazardous…

Toronto, Back on October 24th, George Dunbar sent this comical wedding shot to me.

What makes it so memorable is that it was taken just as the photographer fell off the chair he used to get a better perspective on the wedding party.

The look on the bride’s face is hilarious! So too are the looks of others in the bridal party. Unfortunately there is no credit (or date or location) given for the shot.

Posted in activities-other, photos | Tagged , | Comments Off on Wedding Photography can be Hazardous

Fading slowly in the Fading Light

111 Emerson Ave, Toronto c1900 as photographed in July,1980

111 Emerson Ave, Toronto c1900 as photographed in July,1980

Toronto. Those of us who feel sympathetic towards  the history of people – and places – lament the transformation of an old city into a modern metropolis. In the summer of 1980, I worked at Bloor and Yonge making it a fast subway ride west where my Leica and I spent lunch hours tracking down houses that my mother and her parents once lived in just east of that part of Toronto known as the Junction. I was fortunate the streets and houses were (and are) still there much as they were nearly a century ago when my mother was born in 1907 (in the semi shown here at 111 Emerson Avenue just above Bloor).

What caused this sudden bout of nostalgia you ask? It was a message I received from my friend and fellow PHSC member George Dunbar. George found an article on a site called hyperallergic.com. The article is called “The Photographers of 1870s London Who Documented Their Disappearing City“. In late 1800 London, like Toronto today, houses and buildings were rapidly being torn down and replaced by new structures. Many current Toronto photographers, including George, like to make “then and now” photos of parts of the city while the now photos are still recognizable to us older folk.

Posted in photos | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Fading slowly in the Fading Light

Making Kodak Film 2

Making Kodak Film 2nd Edition. Robert Shanebrook

Making Kodak Film 2nd Edition. Robert Shanebrook

Toronto. Robert Shanebrook sent out an email to many people recently to announce the Expanded Second Edition of his book “Making Kodak Film” first published about six years ago.

Mr Shanebrook retired from Kodak in 2003. The first edition of his epic book about manufacture of film at Kodak was released in 2010. Now a 2nd revised and enlarged edition is about to be released. Target date is mid November 2016.

His first edition was a modest 94 pages covering the technology used to make silver halide films at a relatively high level. This edition, some 470 pages, or five times the content gives considerable in depth discussion of silver halide film manufacture at Kodak. Shanebrook consulted over 100 film experts for this edition, and added 225 more illustrations plus over 600 footnoted references. Most of the material in this second edition has never before been published.

According to Shanebrook, “The book is 470 pages, 8.5 x 11 inches and four-color printed on 80-pound gloss paper. It is gloss-film lamination hard-cover bound. Shipping weight is 5 pounds. It was printed and bound in Rochester, NY. USA The price of the book will be $125 after December 31, 2016. Before then the price is $100. If requested books will be signed by the author.

Note all prices are in USD. Visit Robert’s web site here for more views and ordering details.

Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off on Making Kodak Film 2

Results of Swann Auction

Churchill by Karsh

Churchill by Karsh

Toronto. Top prices went to photographs by Margaret Bourke-White (lot 38) and Yousuf Karsh (lot 196). You can see all lots and their results here on the Swann Auction web site.

Julia Margaret Cameron’s portrait of Kate Keown, taken in 1866 sold for $106,250 (USD) while 15 photographs by Karsh sold for $86,500 (USD). Both lots sold above their estimated top value. These were the top two lots ranked by price attained.

If you missed this auction, Swann plans their next photo auction on Valentine’s day next year.

Posted in auction, photos | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Results of Swann Auction

Macro at PhotoEd – Fall 2016

Fly by Paul

Tachinid Fly by Paul Eekhoff

Toronto. The fall 2016 edition of PhotoEd has an article by Paul Eekhoff on macro photography (pp22-25). Since the beginning of photography we have been fascinated with macro photographs.

Even before 1839, microscopes allowed those curious about macro views to see tiny things up close. Cameras and lenses were designed for the most part to be used no closer than 1m from the subject. To get in closer and stay in focus, auxiliary positive elements, close up tubes, or bellows were used.

These devices needed special guides to keep the subject in focus and “in the frame”. Today with modern digital cameras, there is no problem with focus or framing as the camera shows the image the camera sees whether it is a simple “point and shoot” model or a higher quality DSLR. Paul has many insects displayed on his site (sub menu item –  Commissioned Still Life & Product) – gorgeous.

In this article, Paul shows how to use a white backdrop, a DSLR, macro lens, bellows and a stand. The results are simply spectacular. Pick up a copy of this issue of PhotoEd on your newsstand and have a look!

Posted in processes | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Macro at PhotoEd – Fall 2016

Papering things

Fine quality paper for halftone pictures

Fine quality paper for halftone pictures

Toronto. George Dunbar seems to find interesting things on the ‘net and asks very insightful questions. George recently suggested that we consider paper manufacturers in our pursuit of Canadian history.

Not the paper we photographers usually think of – the baryta covered, emulsion coated papers used for developing prints in a chemical based darkroom – but fine quality paper used in expensive catalogues and books to reproduce photographs using the half-tone process. The Art Photo Book paper manufactured by the Canada Paper Co. Limited was one such paper.

During the summer of 1985, I bought a large book “Private Realms of Light“. Edited by Lilly Koltun, it was written by members of the Public Archives of Canada (National Photography Collection) and contained reproductions of photographs taken by Canadian amateurs in the period 1839 – 1940. It was printed a year earlier here in Toronto by Fitzhenry & Whiteside. The book reproduced the essence of an exhibition shown in Ottawa at Public Archives Canada from mid July to mid October 1983.

The illustrations are remarkably like photographs. The salesman for F&W told me at the time that it was one of the last books of such a quality to be published in Canada due to the sky-rocketing cost of quality paper needed for such beautiful reproductions. Today with digital printing and print on demand we are once again seeing high quality photographic reproductions in print – like Robert Wilson’s book Secure the Shadow on Benjamin Franklin Baltzly and his photographs.

Posted in processes | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Papering things