what’s in a name

Posted on November 6, 2023 by Robert

Early Tar Sands workers by Sidney Ellis c1927

Toronto. … or so Will Shakespeare is credited as writing in his famous tragedy about star-crossed young teen lovers.

I thought of Alberta as home of the famous Tar Sands when I was a kid. By the 1960s, the sands became the Alberta Oil Sands or the Athabasca Bituminous Sands. Thick bituminous petroleum was extracted from the sand. Eventually this heavy crude was piped down to Texas to be refined and marketed (as it is today).

My good friend, George Dunbar, chanced upon this fabulous web site for the ‘Imaginations‘ journal and the journal’s photos and history of the Tar Sands/Oil Sands. Note that both Dr Joan Schwartz and the Glenbow museum were PHSC members. Dr Schwartz spoke at one of our Toronto meetings in 2009.

Without the efforts of landscape photographers, we may not be able to visualize the workers and efforts needed to extract the petroleum from the sands and send it to market.

Please visit your local archives, and libraries, and find the many journal articles to discover more about history in your area. We owe so much to the photographers who took the time to record history for us. As for the Alberta Tar Sands, what’s in a name indeed!

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Estate Auction Fall 2023 – November 19, 2023

Posted on November 5, 2023 by Robert

Nov 19 2023 auction poster

Toronto.  Get ready for our Fall Estate Auction part two! Date is tomorrow Sunday, November 19, 2023 in Long Branch (south west Toronto) at the usual venue BUT at the slightly later time (see poster) – free parking [OVERFLOW AT GO TRAIN LOT JUST WEST of HALL] and free admission.

Our Estate Auction part two features goodies for both film and digital folk – photographs, cameras, lenses, accessories, books, and more. Come out and enjoy this event. Click on the AUCTION tab here or in the menu bar above for directions.

Everybody is welcome. Sorry, no Consignment lots at the door this time. These lots are all ESTATE – really good items, some rare these days. Just in time to let you augment your collection or user gear [or even for your gifting] !

Click above to see photos in roughly lot order (large photos are in lot order)

We owe Clint a big thank you for photographing, naming (by lot number) and tagging the lots shown here (images arrived by thumb drive & email). Click on the montage above, then on the “Brassaï” book (lot 325), and then on any lot icon to see it larger. The photos in the slide show are in lot order (there may be some variation in the sequence of the thumbnails). This continuation estate auction is shaping up to be really thrilling with a wide variety of lots – something for literally everyone!

LOT INDEX: Clint has provided this pdf searchable version of the list of lots for  Nov 19th. This list will be updated. This is the second version (Nov 16). There are some 65 lots yet to be listed.  List version three was uploaded the early evening of the 17th of November.

LOT PHOTOS: The slide show of photos will be updated frequently as photos are received. On November 5th photos of the first 80 lots were added.  Note: during the auction, the sequence of lots  is the auctioneer’s choice and will vary from the numerical sequence shown.

Batch two arrived Saturday, November 11th and were posted here as of 12:40 am Monday the 13th. A total 168 lots were posted by the 13th. Batch three arrived early the morning of the 15th and were posted at 4:30 pm on the 15th for 193 lots illustrated. Batch four came in early November 16th and were posted at 8:00 pm for a total of 232 lots illustrated. Batch five arrived in the small hours of Nov 17th and were uploaded at 6:45 pm for a total of 276 lots illustrated. Later the 17th batch six arrived and was uploaded for a total of 292 lots!  And finally on Nov 18th the last few lots uploaded for a total of 301 photos/lots. The photographing alone is a huge undertaking by Clint on behalf of the PHSC.

Your left/right arrows will work to move from one enlarged photo to another. The red tags or hand written notations show the lot number.  The photos were adjusted with Affinity Photo, Focus Magic and  Topaz Photo AI as needed – Enjoy!

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leaf it to beaver

Posted on November 4, 2023 by Robert

autumn leaves

Toronto. The landscape photographers recorded the great outdoors over the years allowing us to see the changes – by season and by time.

Mountains change, leaves fall, forests are lost. All carefully recorded by landscape photographers over the years. Without the patience of these photographers, we might never know how much the landscape has changed.

My first realization of the impact of climate change was seeing the Columbia Ice Field out west. As we stopped for lunch, we noticed the glacier across the road. When we went over and walked the glacier, we were warned to avoid any crevice in the glacier since we would die of thermal exposure long before any rescue attempt.  And this was 20 years ago in mid summer! Markers showed the lower edge of the glacier by year and just how dramatic the change was since the middle of the last century. The highway actually traversed an area that was once ice!

Some landscape photos appear in books and magazines, others in collections and archives and libraries.  Visit your collection or the nearby archives/libraries and take a careful look at progress through the eyes of a landscape photographer.

NB. The title is a riff on the name of a 1957 TV show, “Leave it to Beaver“.

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the colour blue

Posted on November 3, 2023 by Robert

APS holds a cyanotype workshop Nov 25, 2023

Toronto. Our friend Horst Herget is holding a “Cyanotype workshop” at the next APS meeting (November 25th).

Horst writes, “Cyanotypes are beautiful to behold and easy to make. Peter Friedrichsen will show you all you need to know to make your very own. Workshop held on November 25th at Daylight Studio in Leaside. Suitable for all abilities. 

“Overview: The Alternative Process Social – APS – is thrilled to have Peter Friedrichsen instruct the cyanotype workshop. Peter is a natural instructor who will teach you all you need to know of this 1840’s process. The workshop space will be set-up with three complete stations using UV exposure units. Both digital negatives and photograms images will be made. Two images provide by participants in advance will be converted in roughly 5”x7” digital negatives.

“Details:
Cyanotype workshop with Peter Friedrichsen.
Saturday November 25th, 3.5 hours, 1pm-4:30pm
Location: Daylight Studio Leaside, 28 Industrial Street (off Laird, south of Eglinton),
M4G 1Y9, unit 222. The space is home for APS’ monthly meetups
The 3.5 hour workshop is $200+HST, limited to six participants.
All materials included, plus two digital negatives of images provided by the participant and handout of the process & resources.

“How to register:
Please email to info@DaylightStudioToronto.ca“

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time after time

Posted on November 2, 2023 by Robert

a Kodak Timer – used with a light tight tank and thermometer

Toronto. In the glass plate/film era, a latent image was captured and developed. If necessary. the resulting image could be reversed and enlarged. The earlier media were insensitive to many visible colours created by less energetic light rays. These media were developed under subdued, often red, lighting. The media could be inspected to determine if the development was sufficient for a good print. Such media became known as orthochromatic.

Eventually the media were increased in sensitivity and to all visible colours. These glass plates/films were known as panchromatic and had to be developed in total darkness. Since observation throughout the development process was not possible, a new developing method had to be designed. This was the so called time-temperature process. The developer was kept to a universal temperature like 68 degrees Fahrenheit and developed for a fixed time withe duration depending on the media and development formula.

Under exposure or over exposure could no longer be compensated by developing for more or less time. If the media were “pushed” a stop or two then the time was extended appropriately.

NB. The title of this post is the title of a 1983 song by Cyndi Lauper, sung here by Ms Lauper.

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a supporting stand

Posted on November 1, 2023 by Robert

A Leitz table tripod 14100 from the 1950s in closed position

Toronto. In this day of smartphones and digital cameras with maximum  ISO settings beyond our wildest dreams in the film era, camera supports are seldom necessary (other than to take selfies or closeups where framing is critical).

In the early days of photography, studio cameras were massive pieces of furniture usually with four legs terminating in wheels to move across floors. Outdoors, cameras were mounted on sturdy tripods – the three leg wonders were quite stable on either uneven ground or level ground. The camera could be raised or lowered or turned in place allowing a steady photo to be created with media that took a few seconds or longer exposure.

The trusty tripod was a ubiquitous accessory for well over a century of serious photography adding both stability and framing to each photograph. When faster media arrived in the 1870s, handheld cameras using shutters became popular – often so called detective cameras since they could be operated without the tripod appendage. We continued to use tripods indoors and for close-ups and/or where framing was important.

When we approached the end of film and the beginning of digital technology, tripods and other stands be came unnecessary for most photos. Even at slower ISO ratings there was often built-in optical stability to counteract a small bit of shake. In the late years of last century, I used a tripod, clamps, and even the camera strap to steady my camera. Holding the strap of my Leica tight around my neck, I could take photos as slow as 1/8 second successfully without any built-in optical stability. Of course I was much younger then …

NB. Regular tripods are so common, even today, that I chose to show one of my small Leitz table top tripods. A ball & socket head can be added to allow limited camera adjustment.

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tossed upon cloudy seas

Posted on October 31, 2023 by Robert

storm clouds in the east

Toronto. Cloud photography was a challenge in the earlier years of our art. The media were mainly blue light sensitive. Both sky and cloud showed dark on the negative material when the landscape or person was suitably exposed.

To correct the ‘white’ area above the scene in the print, a separate negative for sky and cloud could be made and added carefully. In later years, a yellow filter used with orthochromatic film could capture sky and cloud as well as the scene below. Some filters were clear on the lower half and yellow on the top half so with careful exposure and framing both the sky and the scene below appear natural on the negative and the subsequent print.

For panchromatic film, the yellow filter or a polaroid filter could intensify and darken the sky making clouds stand out. Since halloween themes of ghosts and pumpkins seem common place today, I chose to show a stormy cloud scene and used the story by Noyes. I once read his poem to my children, literally, “scaring the pants off them”!

NB. The title of this post is a phrase from Alfred Noyes’s haunting poem, “The Highwayman” first published in 1906. It is a suitable memory of Halloween!

 

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the best of times

Posted on October 30, 2023 by Robert

A Century of Cameras – 1st edition 1973

Toronto.  to quote Charles Dickens and his book, “A Tale of Two Cities”. The 1970s was when the PHSC was formed (1974). In the 1970s  camera collecting, image collecting and photo history were growing in popularity.

Collecting clubs formed, books were published, old cameras gained value, camera fairs were held, museums, archives, libraries, and art galleries had photography sections and exhibitions were held at places like the CNE and the underground passage ways in downtown Toronto.

Establishments like George Eastman House in Rochester became hot attractions. There was a scramble for fresh speakers knowledgeable in the old processes and old equipment. Data on early cameras was unearthed. Camera serial numbers were correlated with dates and camera models.

As the era of digital technology arrived, film technology and the early days of photography faded from interest – other than high end cameras and photographs by famous studios of famous people, especially older photographs. Meantime the PHSC and its publications and event continue to thrive. Truly the best of times.

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moonlighting …

Posted on October 29, 2023 by Robert

under a dim red glow

Toronto. … by the dim ruby red light. One thing the digital crowd misses in photography is the darkroom. Digital photo files are corrected – developed – either in the smartphone or on a computer, then printed on an inkjet or just sent as an email or message.

In the days of plates and film, when a photograph was taken, the job was only partly done. Then the negative had to be developed (by red light if orthochromatic or in full darkness if panchromatic or colour). Next, negatives were printed by the dim red light (b&w papers were always orthochromatic). However by their very nature colour process films and papers were panchromatic and had to be developed in total darkness – either a room or a light-tight  tank.

To create the print, developers and paper grades, paper types, etc. were chosen; negatives cropped and sized. Processing a roll of 36 photos could easily take all night. Would I go back to film days? Nope! Been there. Done that. Got the T-shirt. Nowadays I’m old and lazy. I like the ability to use apps on the computer or smartphone to modify a shot.

And unlike the photo at left which I took and was originally badly overexposed, (shadows blown out on the negative), digital technology all but guarantees a technically correct shot (other than focus and/or blur). Even ultra fast sensors obey the laws of physics. You shoot too fast for the light and the focus is way off.  You move in low light and the image blurs.

Regardless whether you go film or digital, the subject choice and framing are paramount! PS. if you enjoy the ambiance of film prints, by all means drop in on one of our shows to get film materials to take and process analogue! Of course there are also lots of goodies to augment your collection of photographic memorabilia.

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a bevy of pretty perfect pictures

Posted on October 29, 2023 by Robert

typical stereo image from the Robert Wilson collection

Toronto. On November 1st and 2nd, 2023. A number of photographs in the collections of the late Dr Robert Wilson (a long time PHSC member and PHSC executive) and the late Harve Sherman (both of Toronto) and the late Miljenko Horvat of Montreal will be auctioned by Liveauctioneers in the Canada Book Auctions. Bids can be placed online at Liveauctioneers.

A notice was also posted by the Daguerreian Society. Here is a great opportunity to add to your old photos collection by bidding online in these two auctions. Check out the catalogue in advance to see the variety of photos (and stereo cards) being offered.

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