$221,000 US photograph by Ansel Adams

Posted on February 29, 2016 by Robert
Moonrise, Hernandez NM USA by Ansel Adams

Moonrise, Hernandez NM USA by Ansel Adams

Toronto. I first saw a reproduction of this beautiful photograph by Adams in one of the Time-Life books I bought in 1970 (The Camera).

Today, Dalle Kaplan at Swann Auction Galleries announced a print of this shot sold for the astounding sum of $221,000 US in an auction four days ago. The print in question was donated by Adams to Edwin Land of Polaroid fame. Land in turn gave it to his friend and 1952 Nobel Prize winner Edward Purcell. It is the ONLY copy of this Adams photograph to ever be auctioned!

As digital makes its inroads devastating traditional silver based photography, we collectors are slowly shifting from cameras to images. Four decades ago I was astonished at a small silver based print selling for $5,000. Really old prints cased or otherwise went for a few dollars at most. Today as cameras fall in value, their product, prints, are quickly rising in value.

Posted in people, processes | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on $221,000 US photograph by Ansel Adams

Review of Heckman’s Canadian Pacific

Posted on February 28, 2016 by Robert
Joseph Heckman of the CPR

Joseph William Heckman of the CPR

This is my review of Ralph Beaumont’s talk on Heckman and his CPR images. Unless otherwise noted the images used are courtesy of Canadian Pacific Corporate Archives.

Bob Lansdale, Clint, and I met with January’s speaker Ralph Beaumont and his friend Rod Clarke for a pre meeting supper at the Trio restaurant upstairs from our meeting room.

Ralph, who used to own the Boston Mills Press publishing company, wrote the Heckman CPR photography book and Rod did the proof reading, image editing and design. We mentioned in the meeting announcement that all images in the book used the original glass plates but we learned that the plates were destroyed years ago and the images came from the albumen contact prints. Due to the way they were permanently mounted in their albums, there was no way the prints could be directly scanned. Instead, the prints were photographed with a digital SLR in situ. Ralph and Rod are both train fanatics with little background in early photographic processes. The finished book is distributed by the Credit Valley Railway Co [http://cvrco.com/bookdistributing2015.htm] Continue reading →

Posted in book, people, program | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Review of Heckman’s Canadian Pacific

March 2016 PHSC Auction Photos

Posted on February 26, 2016 by Robert
First set of lots

First set of photos of lots to be auctioned this Sunday, March 20, 2016

Most recent photos of goods to be auctioned March 20th 2016

Second set of photos of  lots to be auctioned this Sunday, March 20th, 2016

third set

Third set photos of lots to be auctioned this Sunday, March 20, 2016

Back to Auction post…>

Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off on March 2016 PHSC Auction Photos

March 20 PHSC Auction

Posted on February 25, 2016 by Robert
March 20, 2016 Auction. Click for details

March 20, 2016 Auction. Click for details

Toronto. As mentioned in a previous post, our first big event of this year is our March 20, 2016 auction. This event will be held at the Long Branch Legion Hall. Just click here or on the icon at left to see detailed times, directions and rules. All are welcome to attend and space permitting, offer suitable photographic goods and collectibles for auction.

A number of items have already been committed and photographed. The first photos are from the Loban collection. Included are tripods, a unique Minox enlarger, stereo projectors and viewers, and more. Click here then on the thumbnail of the Minox enlarger. You can then click on any thumbnail to see a larger view. Your left and right arrows will step through all the images.

We also have 9 foot, 5 foot and 4 foot wide rolls of background paper in various colours. plus many small professional accessories. Have a look!

Posted in auction | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on March 20 PHSC Auction

Harold Staats – Lost images – Gallery Exhibit at the Gladstone

Posted on February 24, 2016 by Robert
PHSC member Harold Staats with 35mm silde

PHSC member Harold Staats with 35mm silde

Toronto. At our recent jaunt to Ryerson’s RIC and Archives, I bumped into Harold Staats who mentioned his exhibit this spring at the Gladstone in Toronto.

Harold Staats -Lost Images April 14 – 26, 2016
Gallery Exhibit at the Gladstone Hotel
3rd Floor, 1214 Queen Street West
Toronto, ON M6J 1J6
416-531-4635
www.gladstonehotel.com

Harold will be holding his opening from 7 to 10 pm on April 14th.

Harold writes. “I will be having an exhibit of my photography at the Gladstone Hotel, 1214 Queen Street West, Toronto. The Gladstone Hotel is one of the oldest hotels in Toronto. It was originally built in 1889 across from the then existing Parkdale railroad station. It has the original old elevator which must be hand operated. It has been renovated in recent years and it’s unique 37 rooms have been individually designed by different artists. It has a restaurant, bar and hosts many events, art exhibitions and is a popular gathering place for the local arts community. Continue reading →

Posted in activities-other, people | Tagged , | Comments Off on Harold Staats – Lost images – Gallery Exhibit at the Gladstone

Zeiss and Photography for members

Posted on February 22, 2016 by Robert

ZaP-cover-smToronto. The latest Larry Gubas book is now available for members. The quantity is very limited. The price is $200 Canadian and can be picked up at any PHSC event (let me know in advance).

The price includes the 890 full colour page hard cover book plus a DVD of pdf files. The pdf files cover many catalogues and other material too large for the book. There is also a hard copy eight page index covering selected items in the book. This index was too late for the DVD.

Posted in book | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Zeiss and Photography for members

Not Just the Paris Portraits (Berenice Abbott)

Posted on February 20, 2016 by Robert
Elizabeth Larew BA, MA

Elizabeth Larew BA, MA

NEXT TORONTO MEETING: Wed, March 16, 2016
Elizabeth Larew: Preserving Berenice Abbott’s glass plate negatives

Ms Larew was one of the recipients of the PHSC Thesis award at Ryerson last fall. Currently she is a collections cataloger at Princeton University. She will speak at our March 2016 meeting about Berenice Abbott and Ms Abbott’s glass plate negatives.

Her research was performed at Ryerson while earning her MA FPPCM. Berenice Abbot’s archives are the fourth artist archives acquired by Ryerson’s Peter Higdon Research Centre. Ms Abbott (1898 – 1991) was a well known American photographer. This talk is based on Ms Larew’s thesis which was a source for the article in the recent Photographic Canadiana (41-4 pp 6-15).

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

Posted in program | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Not Just the Paris Portraits (Berenice Abbott)

Leica Q

Posted on February 17, 2016 by Robert
The famous Leica Q

The famous Leica Q

Toronto. I always wanted a Leica although when I had the chance to buy one in the late 1950s, I chose the more expensive Exakta VXIIa instead. In the summer of 1972, my youngest child was born and a month later I bought a new Leica M4 at Korda’s in Montreal. A year earlier the ill-fated M5 came to market and my particular M4 was one of the few remaining new ones in retail at the time.

A few months after the M5, a Minolta-made compact Leica called the Leica CL went on sale. But a budding photographer could choose instead to buy the much less costly Minolta C. This camera looked the same as a Leica CL. Leitz justified the cost difference by claiming to have a tighter quality control on the cameras and lenses signed as Leica CLs. Nevertheless, the Leica CL shared the same fate as the unwieldy Leica M5. Leitz went back to the basic M4 design with the Leica M4-2 and succeeding  newer models.

Yesterday on one of the blogs I read, Daring Fireball, John Gruber quoted Craig Mod and his review of the Leica Q. I read the article and was surprised to learn the Leica Q is a fixed lens, full frame, digital camera equipped with a 28mm Summilux lens.

Continue reading →

Posted in camera | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Leica Q

Some NYC stereos: 1850s – 1930s

Posted on February 16, 2016 by Robert

1200Toronto. PHSC member and regular contributor George Dunbar found these NYC stereos from the NYC Public Library (a long time member of the PHSC) collection in an article by Nick Mead in The Guardian, London England.

Stereo cards have been popular over the years slowly coming and going in popularity. While many techniques are used to convey stereo, The Guardian has used animated GIF files which George found a bit annoying. Other stereos photos are simply displayed as dual image cards.

Modern day movies are often made in stereo versions. The audience uses polarized glasses to see the stereo in full colour. I recently joined my youngest daughter and her two children to see Despicable Me 2 in stereo. I found the experience to be very entertaining and free of the eye strain imposed by some earlier attempts at stereo.  The story line tended to avoid the obvious 3D scenes with things whizzing out at the audience strictly for the 3D effect.

 

Posted in processes | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Some NYC stereos: 1850s – 1930s

Newsletter 15-9

Posted on February 14, 2016 by Robert
Mystery Tintype Camera

Mystery Tintype Camera

Toronto. Another gorgeous newsletter in full colour from editor David Bridge. Feb meeting news – THIS MEETING ONLY IS AT RYERSON!

This issue contains Toronto Notes on Ralph Beaumont and his book about Heckman’s CPR photos, plus columns like A Second Look (Bob Lansdale) and New Photo Links (Louise Freyburger).

The story of a Mystery Tintype Camera. And many more items of interest. Just click here or on the icon above left to read and print this exciting issue!

Posted in newsletter | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Newsletter 15-9