not waiting for Godot …

Posted on May 7, 2024 by Robert

not waiting for Godot …

Toronto. … but waiting for the PHSC Spring Fair. With apologies to Sam Beckett. Now our Spring Auction is over you have another chance to add to your personal collection/user gear (or both).

Collectors and users alike are welcome at our annual spring fair with open arms. Like the auction, there is free parking and good food. Unlike the auction, there is a small entrance fee (students excepted).

Come on down to the “pierogi palace” on Sunday, May 26th and join in on the fun and excitement. Lots of tables and exhibitors with cameras, lenses, accessories, darkroom, studio, photos books, and more (both film and digital stuff).

 

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… with fries

Posted on May 6, 2024 by Robert

1956 advertisement for an accessory selenium light meter for a Leica camera.

Toronto.  … Add-ons are always a way to increase sales/profits. In film photography add-ons or accessories, as they are often called, helped the photographer create better/different photos.

In the mid 1950s built-in meters were uncommon yet an exposure meter was often necessary for the casual photographer to obtain decent results. The meters usually worked okay outdoors in sunlight but were woefully ineffective indoors or at night when exposure help was really needed.

In the case of Leica, like many others, the meter was slipped into the accessory shoe (later called a hot shoe when its use became primarily for a flash and the hot contact eliminated any need for an added flash sync cord). This add-on meter for screw mount Leicas featured a selenium cell meter for reflective or incident light. Later meters connected to the shutter speed control and even later used the CdS cell and a battery to offer far greater sensitivity.

The above ad appeared in the May 1956 issue of Popular Mechanics. Today’s photographers have cameras with built-in metering and auto-everything significantly reducing the risk of photographer induced errors – given enough light and a steady hand!

Our thanks to good friend George Dunbar who sourced this piece of nostalgia and shared with us. Well done, George!

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out, damned spot!

Posted on May 5, 2024 by Robert

early 1950s snap shot showing effects of dust and hairs

Toronto. … with apologies to Bill and his Lady Macbeth. Bill was born long before photography was announced. When the minicam became prominent in the mid 1930s, negatives were enlarged out of necessity. And the nightmare began.

To darkroom photographers, tiny hairs and dust specks, were the nightmare. Static electricity charged the film strip of negatives and attracted tiny pieces of hair and dust. Special brushes, some even slightly radioactive, were sold to carefully ‘dust’ a negative in hopes of removing all these specks. Unfortunately some slipped through and dust showed up as tiny white disks in darker parts of the print marring the result.

Fortunately, today’s digital photographer isn’t affected by dust or tiny hairs. Brush anyone!

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easil for you to say

Posted on May 4, 2024 by Robert

an Auction lot in this Sunday May 5th Auction

Toronto. Get ready for this Sunday! It’s the PHSC spring Auction. Get ready for some great lots to fill the holes in your collection and user gear! The attached post here gives both information and a slide show of lots.

Come on down and see old friends while you savour our offerings! Remember there is food, free parking and free admission! The current forecast is rain in the morning – keep out of the rain and visit the legion hall 101 and our auction instead.

With over 200 lots we will have something for everyone! The usual gang of enthusiasts will be on hand, plus some new faces.

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seeing stars

Posted on May 3, 2024 by Robert

A cheap means to view the heavens with good resolution

Toronto. My good friend and fellow PHSC member suggested this article, “Electronically Assisted Astronomy on the Cheap”. on the IEEE Spectrum web site.

Photography of the heavens has been a valid branch of the art for many years. With the age of digital photography upon us, even amateur photographers with a thirst for astronomy can afford decent gear that will give good results.

Have a read and think of the benefits from digital technology as well as the down side.

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what a shot!

Posted on May 2, 2024 by Robert

photo – ML Antiques
auction May 18th

Toronto. Attention all image collectors: Michael Lehr at ML Antiques is auctioning off a collection of old photos, mainly American. Visit his MailChimp notice here for more details.

The cut line for the photograph at left says, “Western Charm: Immerse yourself in the rich tapestry of the Old West with items like a cabinet card of Geronimo. These Western-related gems add a touch of authenticity to [y]our collection.”

After visiting our PHSC auction this coming Sunday, you can slake your thirst for Americana by viewing Michael’s offerings. The actual photos will be in NYC – you can email Michael for an appointment.  See his MailChimp listing at the first link above.

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Ahhh, spring …

Posted on May 1, 2024 by Robert

A fine lawn. A fine dandelion in blossom.

Toronto. It’s May 1st and all the flowers are beginning to blossom – some even last month. We know spring has arrived because the lawns are alive with flowers – dandelions.

We notice many lawns sprouting these nasty beauties. We have dug out over 4,000 this spring, mainly from our lawn. The little plants are rather pretty at this stage – and free thanks to a prevailing northwest wind and an indifferent neighbour.

The photographing of flowers is a common side venture of photographers as shown in the earlier post called “Night Flower” which covers an exhibition of the work of Ms Sara Angelucci at the Stephen Bulger Gallery as part of this year’s CONTACT event.

A great shot of any flower demands timing, close-up, framing, and lighting skills that test the casual photographer or even the professional. Ahhh spring …

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night flower

Posted on April 30, 2024 by Robert

Nocturnal Botanical by SARA ANGELUCCI
as exhibited at the STEPHEN BULGER GALLERY, Toronto.

Toronto. Stephen Bulger has been a member of the PHSC from time to time. In Toronto, the CONTACT program features photography and photographic themes around the city each spring.

This year, the Gallery features works by Sara Angelucci such as the Nocturnal Botanical series of photographs, one of which is featured at left.

The gallery write up states,
Opening Reception: Saturday, May 4, 2-5pm
Guided Tour of the Exhibition with Sara Angelucci: Saturday, May 4, 3pm
Exhibition Dates: May 4 – June 15, 2024

“Stephen Bulger Gallery is pleased to present Nocturnal Botanical, our third solo exhibition of work by Sara Angelucci, during CONTACT Photography Festival. The exhibition brings together two ongoing companion bodies of work, Nocturnal Botanical Ontario and Bella di Notte, for the first time.

“Angelucci began creating botanical images in 2018 working with a scanner, in situ at night. The series began accidentally, as she retreated to the solace of her small city garden to process the deep grief of losing her sister. Working in solitude, she began to notice the smallest things—the obedient plants’ movable petals, the wild bellflower, and a single columbine growing beneath the peony bush.

“Reveling in this micro-world, it occurred to her that even grief offered gifts. Reading about the decline, and imminent extinction of species across the planet, her need to mourn expanded beyond her personal circle.

“During the pandemic Angelucci began to work in fields and forests near her cottage in the Pretty River Valley, Ontario, immersing herself in the natural world. She continues this endeavour expanding her botanical explorations to ponds, and river shores and exploring plant life in the changing seasons.

Visit the Stephen Bulger Gallery to read and see more  of this exhibition.

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its a selfie, silly

Posted on April 29, 2024 by Robert

spoofing the modern selfie craze

Toronto. My good friend George Dunbar came across this photo of two girls at an exhibition. They were hamming it up with a landline handset. The photo is remarkably similar to a modern ‘selfie’ taken with a Smartphone’s front facing camera.

The title “The early days of selfies” is a bit of a misnomer since a mirror was used for such self portraits since the early days of photography (1839). The above link is to a Wikipedia article on the topic of self portraits.

A big thanks goes to George for this clever photo which he shared with us. Being a bit small, it was upscaled  with Topaz Photo AI 2 before adjusting the size in Affinity Photo.

By the way, our spring auction is May 5th. Drop by and bid – you may find a photo or a piece of equipment suitable for your collection or user gear.

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c’est mon Kodak ..

Posted on April 28, 2024 by Robert

an old wooden camera with lens at our coming auction

Toronto. .. as the Quebec farmer said flashing his camera. In Quebec, Kodak was so pervasive that ANY camera was called a ‘Kodak’. But not all cameras were made by Kodak.

For instance, the camera at left was made by Scoville. It has a brass lens with a series of stops on a single disk. Scoville (much later Anthony and Scoville), was the second largest American photographic materials maker in the 1800s. The Anthony company which Scoville joined was the largest. Both were founded long before Eastman began his photographic glass plate business.  In the 1900s the merged company became Ansco.

The camera shown above, is Lot 306 at our May 5th auction. There are many items of interest to the film or digital photographer/collector. Come on out and meet old friends once again while bidding to add to your collection and/or user gear.

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