Merry Christmas 2023 from all at PHSC

Posted on December 25, 2023 by Robert

Christmas 1966 in Toronto on Kodachome

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t’was the night …

Posted on December 24, 2023 by Robert

what a wonderful gift in 1972 – if you had and used a Polaroid camera

Toronto. Christmas eve again. That magical night loved by all children when ‘Santa’ drops by with gifts for all the children on his list.

We at PHSC wish you and your family a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year wherever you are and whenever you celebrate the season and the new year.

Our post title is from that famous 1823 poem tentatively written  by Clement Clarke Moore and known by those old and young.

The image at left is from a Christmas 1972 issue of LIFE magazine. In it, Polaroid makes two big assumptions: The recipient owns a working Polaroid; and all ‘gift’ photos will come out perfect. Typically, many of my family had a Polaroid camera – used a few times then tossed to the back of a shelf or closet after the delighted owner discovered the cost of having ‘instant’ prints and that many of the costly prints might be ruined as the Polaroid camera is adjusted to work best and the subject is finally suitably posed and alert.

Those of us today born in the digital era think all photos are full colour, cheap, and instant – or what is a smartphone for???

My thanks to very good friend and fellow PHSC member, George Dunbar, for finding and sharing this timely Christmas eve advertisement from years gone by.

 

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a subjective choice

Posted on December 23, 2023 by Robert

Niagara Falls c1974 using Kodachome transparency film

Toronto. We are about an hour’s drive from one of the world’s most famous falls – Niagara. The photo at left is from the late 1970s on Kodachrome transparency film. In spite of its slow speed and high contrast, Kodachome was used at the time to capture events to be saved for the future.

Since the beginning of photography, people and Niagara Falls have been popular subjects. Collectors of photos are certain to have at least one ‘falls’ shot in their collection. We have had many talk about the falls including ways to date photographs by the background and how the falls were used to generate hydro-electric power.

As photographers we have a wide choice of subjects. Colour and framing make the subject appealing, In landscapes capturing a falls can turn an indifferent shot into an eye-catching photograph. Photographer Brian Matiash talks about water falls in his latest LightroomEverywhere blog, “Why I Love Photographing Waterfalls“. Brian lives in Florida these days (more flat and swampy) but at one time he lived in the American west where water falls abound. Have a read!

Think about your subject and a photo’s impact the next time you are off on a shoot or busy searching indoors somewhere for that special photograph to add to your collection!

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a true artist

Posted on December 22, 2023 by Robert

Victor Hugo by Etienne Carjet c1876 about a century and a half ago

Toronto. Before photography, artists used pencil, charcoal, brush, and paint to create a ‘likeness’ of a well to do person. The wealthier and more famous the person, the better he/she could afford a well known painter – a true artist.

When photography was first announced, it was intended to make reproduction in printed matter simpler, or to record scenes in a more lifelike fashion. Very quickly its was realized that it afforded more modest folk to pay for a ‘likeness’.

Shown at left is the French author Victor Hugo whose likeness and spirit were captured by another famous Frenchman, Etienne Carjet.

Since its inception, the art of photography has progressed – more sensitive media; advances in resolution; faithful reproduction of natural colour; movies, three dimensions; Off the shelf equipment and media; processing by third parties; etcetera. As the technical demands were reduced, more and more people embraced the art for various intentions.

Today with digital technology, the technical aspect of photography has become so complete that nearly every one is a ‘photographer’. One thing is missing. A true artist can bring forth the key feeling of a person or scene. A true artist knows how to make an arresting, appealing image of a person or scene. Today millions are photographers; a handful are true artists.

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frozen in time

Posted on December 21, 2023 by Robert

a Nikon frozen in time courtesy Pablo Betancourt

Toronto. Sometimes climate change uncovers a disaster from years past. In this case an event nearly 50 years old. George Dunbar came across this NY Times article (you need an account to read the original article as NYT has a pay wall these days). If you don’t have a subscription, you can read the article here or on the FRI site linked below.

George  writes, “High on Aconcagua, the Western Hemisphere’s highest mountain, the shrinking Polish Glacier spits out what it once devoured.

“That is how Janet Johnson and John Cooper became part of the folklore of Aconcagua. They climbed along with others in 1973. Johnson’s body was found in 1975. Nearly five decades later, an old Nikon camera had emerged from the receding glacier. It was wound, prepared to take the next picture.”

George then notes the Canadian connection to this article, “INDIAN HEAD, SASKATCHEWAN, is about an hour east of Regina. Its tallest structure is a grain elevator. There is not a mountain in sight. On a downtown corner is a former bank, a two-story brick structure from the 1800s. Today it is home to Film Rescue International [FRI], run by a man named Greg Miller.”

And FRI processed the film taken 50 years ago by the Nikon before disaster  hit. You can also read the article here complete with photos and video saved by FRI.

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for meter collectors

Posted on December 20, 2023 by Robert

1946 ad for a GE exposure meter

Toronto.  Many camera collectors also collect exposure meters and calculators. My own collection includes a handful of both. The ad shown here is from the December, 1946 LIFE magazine. George Dunbar, who generously shared it with us, found it while searching the magazines for all ads relevant to photography.

In the late 1950s I bought my first light meter. Before that I resorted to the sheets Kodak inserted in each box of film to help me choose the camera settings based on the light. It was a toss up between GE and Weston for a meter. I ended up buying the Weston Master III. This was rather early in the days of handheld meters and all were based on selenium cells which created a voltage under exposure to light.

Sadly just when you needed the reading (dim outdoor sunlight, indoor lights) selenium meters created almost no voltage. Years later meters based on the far more sensitive cadmium sulfide (CdS) cells appeared on the market. CdS resistance varied with light exposure and required a battery to reflect values on a meter. Under steady light, the resistance varied so the CdS cell was blocked from the light or any voltage until a reading was needed.

Many makers took advantage of a characteristic of mercury cells – constant voltage until end of life. This meant a simple series circuit worked (meter, battery/cell, and CdS). The apple cart was upset when government decreed that all mercury uses polluted the landscape and mercury cell manufacture stopped. Some workarounds were available to replace the cells with mercury-free hearing aid or watch cells. Or you could buy a similar sized alkaline cell  and put up with a need to recalibrate from time to time as the voltage slowly fell.

In the late 1800s various calculators came to market to assist the photographer. Before the dry plate era the exposed plate was developed immediately giving nearly instant feedback to the photographer. The media were so slow a sub-second shutter was unnecessary.

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long, long, ago

Posted on December 19, 2023 by Robert

Main street in Jackson, CA c 1925. Photo courtesy of Philip Brigandi (1/2 stereo pair).

Toronto. As I mentioned many times before, museums, archives, and libraries often hold photographs which are a rich source of history. The museum in Riverdale, California, while far away is a case in point.

Typical of their holdings is the photograph at left which it is one half a stereo pair. It shows a typical downtown scene c1925. See the (today) old automobiles with nary a horse in sight. The local Drug store touts its stock of cigars – and Kodaks (not cameras). Down the street is another sign stating “Telephone” where the majority of folk could use the instrument, or even buy a personal line. Lots of awnings to fend off the heat of the sun.

Cameras  had been around for years before 1925, but wide use of cameras waited for the invention and popularization of “fast” (instant) film that could be purchased off the shelf. Even in rural Quebec in the 1960s farmers spoke of their “Kodak” regardless of the make of camera they used.

Telephones too were around for decades by 1925 but popularization was slow. A major company in Eastern Canada was established back in 1890. In the 1950s there were many rural pockets of independent telephone companies. Dial phones were slowly replacing the local connections traditionally handled by an operator.

On the right of the photo is a hardware store advertising that the store sells “stoves”. The photograph was discovered by George Dunbar who generously shared it. George writes, “An interesting street scene in Jackson, California 1925. Note the Drugs sign, “Cigars & Kodaks.”

The photograph is just one of the holdings at the California Museum of Photography (CMP) at the UC Riverside, about 50 miles from Los Angeles. Note that the CMP also has an extensive collection of cameras. The camera details are listed, but most photos of them are not online. Have a look at their photo holdings AND  browse the holdings at your local institution in order to see the world through your ancestor’s eyes.

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executive meeting No 42 by ZOOM

Posted on December 18, 2023 by Robert

PHSC President Clint Hryhorijiw

Toronto. One positive outcome from COVID-19 is the use of ZOOM. In fact, the most recent executive meeting (Wednesday, December 6th, 2023) was our 42nd executive meeting held via ZOOM (it was a pleasant and productive session). 

We were joined briefly by Rita Godlevskis of PhotoEd to review some suggestions for the PHSC. We have agreed to continue our advertising in PhotoEd and her other ideas are being considered.

The PHSC newsletter (under our new editor, photographer Katrin Faridani) is being written and revised with a tentative release date in January 2024. Prefer a personal copy of the newsletter but haven’t yet joined the PHSC? Just drop me an email at news@phsc.ca and I will add you.

We are seeking a new Membership Secretary. Can you help as a volunteer (in this or any other executive position, or at any PHSC event)? Then drop me a note to forward to Clint using this email address: info@phsc.ca. By the way, please note as of 2022, our membership year ends December 31st.

We are presently tidying up our databases and investigating the effect of going pdf vs. hard copy with the journal.

The topic and date of our next Toronto meeting will be announced here as soon as it is released.

Co-editor David Bridge and partner Louise Freyburger have released the latest issue of Photographic Canadiana.  The editing team gave us an overview of the next issue of our journal (49-3), scheduled for release by year end making it the 4th issue of 2023.

As part of our database updates, we are currently updating our MailChimp data. It is important to us that you are notified as each new journal edition is released. If you are a member but HAVE NOT seen any notification for any journal issue since you registered/renewed, please email me at info@phsc.ca.

And a Merry Christmas to one and all from your executive.

early in the December 2023 PHSC Executive meeting

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clowning around

Posted on December 17, 2023 by Robert

LIFE ad in Oct 1942 for Castle Films

Toronto. Taking a break from stills, my good friend, George Dunbar, found this ad for Castle Films. Most of our members are ‘stills’ professionals or collect still cameras and images. The occasional member is keen on movies as well (the late Bob Gutteridge even wrote about them).

Castle Films saw a niche market in ready-to-view films for the home (8mm, 16mm). The company aimed at those who had movie viewing gear but had lost interest in taking movies. The company must have been mainly a marketing force since beside ordering a movie copy directly, you could often just buy one from a local photo supply store (our drug store carried the Castle line (briefly) along with other photo supplies and services).

The above ad appeared the October, 1942 edition of LIFE magazine. In the late 1950s, our family had a few different Castle Films titles – you  guessed it, bought at the local drug store.

 

 

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selfies galore

Posted on December 16, 2023 by Robert

A December 1943 group photo in LIFE

Toronto. Photographers both professional and amateur elect or are prodded to record groups – organizations, schools, military, bands, special events, etc.

Some photographers even specialized and used special cameras (e.g. Cirkut) or extreme wide angle lenses (e.g. Zeiss Protars) to capture a group.

Sometimes a stairway was used to ensure everyone in the group could see the camera and be seen. Our late editor, Bob Lansdale, himself a professional photographer, made use of stairways in this manner. Or a high elevation for the photographer might work as shown in the LIFE photograph at left of the 1943 NAM meeting.

George Dunbar writes, “Here’s a great historical photo of the first woman among her peers, all men. Life Magazine published this photo of a National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) meeting in New York in December 1943. The amazing image (80 years ago) identifies only one woman, Ruth Leach (7th from right in middle row).  She was appointed as the first female executive and vice president of IBM in 1943.”

George’s comments brought to mind the terribly long and still ongoing struggle women in business face. When I entered the work force, jobs (and pay) were split into male and female. I worked for a very proactive company that eliminated the male/female job ratings and slowly began encouraging women to reach higher management ranks. The bias of the older work staff made it a tough and lengthy struggle.

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